Something to Prove is an introduction to philosophy and the practice of community of inquiry (COI). Researched and written specifically for young adults and their teachers, it pokes an exploratory finger into the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, political ideology, formal reasoning, ethics, culture, freedom, and more. The book employs contemporary story-telling techniques, informal language, […]
Category: Rights
Political Philosophy
Title: Political Philosophy Editor: Anthony Quinton Publisher: Oxford University Press This book presents a series of political philosophical essays. Most of the essays are pitched at a high level; they are, therefore, only really suitable for older students. Quinton’s introduction to the book (pgs 1-8) provides a useful (but heavy-going) overview of what political philosophy […]
An Introduction to Political Philosophy by Jonathan Wolff
Title: An Introduction to Political Philosophy Author: Jonathan Wolff Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780199296095 This book offers a clear overview of some of the main issues in political philosophy. It is written and structured in such a way that it is accessible without being unintelligent or inaccurate. Teachers might use the book to familiarise […]
Legal Rights
Title: Matthew Kramer on Legal Rights Location: http://philosophybites.com/2008/07/matthew-kramer.html In this audio clip (15:01), Matthew Kramer explains legal rights – what rights are, and what they are for. He discusses the difference between rights and liberties, and also explains the difference between will and interest theories. He also offers a number of examples to illustrate these […]
Human Rights by Andrew Clapham
Title: Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction Author: Andrew Clapham Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780199205523 This short book is an accessible resource for teachers. The book is probably, as a whole, too complex for most high school students. Teachers might use it primarily to familiarise themselves with the debates surrounding human rights. There are, […]
Censorship
John Stuart Mill in On Liberty, chapter two, argues that we should never censor ideas, either true or false. This is a complex section and will require teaching assistance for older students to understand the language Mill uses, but the ideas are simple to understand and consider further.
Attack on Freedom of Speech NZ
Wiki news site describing why some critics have claimed the amendment to the Electorate Finance Act curbs our liberties to speech because individuals and groups of kiwis will face restrictions on what they can say for or against a political party. Is this an attack on freedom of speech?
Freedom of Speech in NZ historically
Philosophy Resource Managing | Home This site describes the freedom of speech laws, or lack thereof, in NZ historically and as such provides a useful background information for students discussing freedom of speech as an ethical or political topic.
Freedom of Speech an Introduction
This is a very useful, although slightly technical, website to look at the main reasons why we care about freedom of speech and the main defense thereof, by John Stuart Mill. Subsequent sections look at why offense, not direct harm, can itself be a reason to curb our liberties to speech as we choose.
Justice Rawls and Nozick
This article gives a comprehensive and clear introduction to the theories of John Rawls and Robert Nozick. The content and language used is appropriate for Year 11, 12 and 13 styudents.