I agree 100% with the Idea of making philosophy more accessible to the less educated. They need more out lets for thought then only the simplicity of organized religion.
I know, I'm one who studied all the knowledge I could get my hands on. But with only a grade 8 education, I have shied away from philosophy because I had to spend to much time reading paragraphs over and over again to grasp what they were getting at. Not to mention stopping to look up words in the dictionary non stop. I rarely have to do this with other forms of knowledge.
The question is, if philosophy should only be for the elite educated or should it be for those who need it most?

I feel that philosophy should be for those who feel the need the most. Because I think that only those people are the true lovers of knowledge. Remember philosophy comes from the Greek, from phil- love + sophia wisdom, from sophos wise.

But I would also say that those who love to learn must take some responsibility and do some of the work. There are some good introduction to philosophy books out there for those in the beginning stages or those starting anew.

One book that I have and that I would recommend is Philosophy Made Simple by Richard H. Popkin and Avrum Stroll. This book covers the basic topics of philosophy as well as the major contributors within the topic. It is nicely arranged and is written in easy to understand style and language. It's a serious book written for a general audience.

There are used copies available on Amazon starting at four dollars + shipping (approx. another four dollars). So it could be delivered to your doorstep at approx. $8.00 total charge. Which is not a bad deal.


--Pyth

I agree that philosophy should be for those who feel that they need it most. I was first scared of philosophy when I first took the class (it was something I needed to graduate). Now, I'm planning on minoring in philosophy. I fell in love with it. The book that I learned in if anyone wants to know is archetypes of Philosophy. It's a brilliant learners guide.

I also believe that you can't force people to love philosophy, but I've seen people around me since I've taken it, start to respect it more. I've talked all my friends into taking it and they've told me how great it was. They also told me they appreciate me for pushing them to the class. They really enjoyed it. Plus, I can have intellectual conversations with my friends, and not have them be completely lost.

Pyth, you keep reading my mind!!
I am hopefully starting my PGCE in primary education after my 3rd year of uni (next year), and one thing I've always aspired to do once I'm working as a primary school teacher is to start a philosophy club for the kids.

Also thanks for the book recommendation I will order my copy in a moment.

And Poppasciencewww.answers.com, just double click on any word on any web page and it will show a speech bubble with some info on the word, perfect for very quickly looking up a word.

Here is what I get if I double click Pythagorean's name...

Match: Pythagoreanism and others.
(pĭ-thăg'ə-rē'ə-nĭz'əm)
n.
The syncretistic philosophy expounded by Pythagoras, distinguished chiefly by its description of reality in terms of arithmetical relationships.
Pythagorean ' adj. & n.


Finally, Pythagorean, I can't read the article without paying?!
And I assume it's illegeal for you to paste it into the thread... o' well *huff* Cheers anyway.

Dan.

I want to say I'm sorry that the link above has dried up. Those "Chronicle" links don't last very long and I probably won't use them again.

Anyway, I did find the original article elsewhere online. Click Here For the Complete Article: Looking Up From the Gutter: Philosophy and Popular Culture
By STEPHEN T. ASMA

And Dan, good luck with your endeavors. I can't think of anything more worthy in life to do than to teach philosophy to young people.

--

I wonder what is intended by bringing philosophy to the masses; as philosophy is essentially reserved for those who have the capacity to withdraw from the masses and from popular culture etc.

The philosopher is one who can describe his own thoughts properly and concisely, and by that virtue, channeling such through popular culture would be a failure. Perhaps it would be possible to convey a passion for this notion through popular culture (which apparently was once the case) but merely spewing random ideas within the media is not helpful whatsoever; it is as good as popular science is to "Real Science"

But I am wondering if the intent of philosophy here is not merely one of codification of several phrases which appear "Clever" and hence "Philosophical" etc.

Not only for you with a grade 8 (formal) education but also with people who have more 'degrees' than a thermometer.
The study of philosophy assists greatly in training the mind, not just 'putting stuff into it'.
It is (opinion) far better to 'know how to think and reason' (self study) than to turn your brain over to an institution that will (if you allow it) fill you up with 'nonsense' so you can take a test, and then forget the nonsense.

Anyone (like yourself) who has, through philosphical self-study, trained his or her mind then they can stand toe-to-toe with any PhD and intelligently discuss the nature of 'reality'. IQ is not related, so much, with 'formal education' but is directly related to the ability to manipulate information from a stance of 'self-reliance', study, reflection and observation (to be able to think and analyze).

The fact is (opinion) that 'everybody' is a philosopher.... but only very few actually investigate (study) other's philosophies and allow any resulting insights to cause them to evolve their personal philosophy.

Typically, a 'more enlightened approach' is not dependent upon formal education but, rather, upon self-motivation to study and to learn. In fact, 'formal education' can (and does) often present obstacles to 'deeper understanding'.

Quote: "The person ('man' in original quote) who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after" (end quote).

As such, it seems to be a 'logical fallacy' to think that someone with a comprehensive 'formal education' is 'smarter' than a self-motivated and self-directed student of philosophy.

Nobody ever asked Plato for his resume. :-)

Nevertheless, most people, regardless of 'formal education', resist 'thinking' and avoid training their minds. Philosophy is a 'path' to clarity (enlightenment) and self-reliance and is without concern for 'formal education'.
'Wisdom' cannot be taught in institutions.... it is something that we must discover alone... a path that only very few dare to tread.

..

This is in the works. This is a good discussion and Philosophy combined with pop culture is going to be a set of forums we'll be adding soon. Actually, I've discussed this with PhilosopherQueen and she's volunteered to moderate it.

Just wanted to let you all know that this post is being read and we are going to add more forums to fit various needs of the popular culture of today. Philosophy is for everyone, even though they may not know it. Everyone applies a philosophy in all that they do and all that they are. It's not just for scholars and we can all grow in the mind discussing and understanding the yesterday, today and the future.

Great discussion. Look forward to these added forums in the near future.

I'm really looking forward to the new forums!!! Can't wait!!!