Rules and Reasoning Do rules require reasons? Can you have a good rule based on bad reasons? A bad rule based on good reasons? Are there any rules that don’t need reasons? What makes certain reasons good ones? How do we determine if a reason is a good one? Being and Doing Are there things … Why do I Have to Eat Off the Floor?
FRIENDSHIP AND LOYALTY What should Derek have done? Why did Derek stay silent? Was Derek a good friend to Gawain? What makes someone a good friend? Was Derek punished for what he did? If so, how? What were the consequences for the king of his own actions? Did the king have any obligations to Gawain? … Real Thief
What will happen if you give a mouse a cookie? What will happen if you do anything? How do you know what’s going to happen? Can we predict the future? What is the difference between the past and the future? What is it like to be a mouse? Could you be friends with a mouse? … If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Toad concludes that he will never receive mail in the future given that he has never received mail in the past. Is this conclusion correct? Imagine that Toad doesn’t receive any mail for fifty years. At that point, would it make sense for Toad to stop waiting for the mail? Why or why not? Would … Frog and Toad Together – “The Letter”
How do we know if what we do affects anyone or anything else? If B occurs after A, does that mean that A caused B? Why or why not? Toad says that Frog’s garden is beautiful. What makes a garden beautiful or not beautiful? Is nature beautiful in the same way that for example, music … Frog and Toad Together – “The Garden”
Alice notices that the Dormouse is being used as a cushion by the March Hare and the Hatter. She thinks to herself, “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse, only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.” Can you be uncomfortable when you are asleep? Can things bother you when you are asleep? Does what happens … Alice in Wonderland – “A Mad Tea Party”
PLATO is part of a global UNESCO network that encourages children to participate in philosophical inquiry. As a partner in the UNESCO Chair on the Practice of Philosophy with Children, based at the Université de Nantes in France, PLATO is connected to other educational leaders around the world.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
If you would like to change or adapt any of PLATO's work for public use, please feel free to contact us for permission at info@plato-philosophy.org.
Connect With Us!