Philosophy
“There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands”
So said Plato, often referred to as the ‘father of modern thought’, thousands of years ago. He is but one of the many characters of History that students in Year 11 become familiar with in the course of Philosophy. Martin Fitzgerald, the head of Philosophy at the College, takes his students systematically through the great minds that have shaped, for good or bad, the world around them. The beginning is arguably the best place to start for any would-be philosopher, and therefore our gazes are turned towards the Greek beginnings of philosophy, finally ending with the modern philosophers from Descartes to Nietzsche.
Through Philosophy, we understand the ideal and concepts that shape our ways of thinking, and therefore acting. The travesty that is Postmodernism is explored in depth, with, ironically, reasonable deductions made with reason. Only in Philosophy can something so unreasonable be understood with reason. This course is a highly important part of our education, making sure we understand the world and what drives it from within. Remember, “The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next.”
Jonathan Whealing