Activity One

This activity is to accompany Unit Two of the Curriculum Guide.

Incorporating the C.E.L.s:

• Independent Learning
• Critical & Creative Thinking
• Personal & Social Values & Skills

Concept Development Lesson for:

• Human Nature
• Rationalism
• Philosophy

This concept development activity provides students with an opportunity to investigate the implications of using particular philosophical positions to interpret human behaviour and to guide one's own response to world events and situations. The activity also gives the students an appreciation of a number of different philosophical positions.

Knowledge Objectives

The student will:

• know that at certain times in history, societies reject and select suitable images to pursue;
• know that a number of paradigms attempt to define the "meaning" of human existence; and,
  • know that rationalism places a high premium on science and education and on the human potential, to solve problems and create a "better" world.

Skills Development

The student will:

• practise making and testing generalizations;
• practise using moral and ethical criteria as a basis for analyzing a plan of action;
• practise analyzing similarities and differences between paradigms; and,
• practise using criteria as a basis for analyzing information.

Values Issues

The student will:

• discuss whether a particular philosophical perception of the world prepares a person to deal with an unpredictable and dangerous future;
• discuss what the consequences are when a person analyzes events on the basis of a particular philosophical paradigm;
• discuss whether any single philosophy restricts a person's ability to identify and validate available options;
• discuss whether a single philosophy provide a person with criteria to evaluate events and options;
• discuss whether our society has a predominant philosophical orientation;
• discuss whether a society can retain/encourage creativity if is dominated by a particular philosophical orientation;
• discuss the mechanisms a society uses to reconcile clashes of values; and,
• discuss whether certain institutions are dominated by particular philosophical orientations.

Outline of the Activity

Step One

Review with students how World War I was concluded and the terms of the peace treaties that "settled" the war. Note that not all issues and parties involved in the peace treaties were pleased with the settlement.

Indicate that throughout history, people have had to deal with an unpredictable and dangerous reality.

• Note that predicting the future is always dangerous in terms of accuracy.

Discuss how people should deal with dangerous and frightening situations. Suggest to the class that analyzing the capabilities of human beings could be a first step in such a discussion.

• What are the potentials of people?
• What are the limitations of people?

Once the students have completed their analyses, have them address the following questions.

• What does a reasonable and civilized human being do when the world's societies decide to go to war?
• How does a person respond when the peace settlement does not offer much optimism for the future?

Step Two

Provide students with the Student Information Sheet: Paradigms Which Influenced Thought in the 1920s and 1930s.

Ask the students, individually or in groups, to decide which of the philosophies - Christianity, Existentialism, or Logical Empiricism, makes the most sense for an individual who must function in an unpredictable world.

• If a student or a group cannot support any of the philosophies, they can search for or develop one that they can support.

Ensure that no one's philosophical position is ridiculed.

Step Three

Discuss the following questions with the students.

• Would a single philosophy suit the needs of this classroom?
• Is it possible to find a philosophy that is suitable for a large society such as Canada?
• If it is not possible, how should a society proceed?