Module 3 - Part 2: Historical Foundations in Teaching and Learning

The third article I chose was “There Are Nowadays Professors of Philosophy, but not Philosophers” by Pierre Hadot. The article highlights Thoreau’s believe “to be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically” (Hadot, 2005). The article continues to argue that people today live in a distracted way and are weighed down by unnecessary luxuries and worries, instead of focusing on what is truly essential for a good life. Interesting as the article was, innovation, creativity, teaching and learning were not explicitly referenced, however I made my own interpretations. Teaching in this context, could be about teaching students how to become philosophers in their own life, questioning, pondering, and investigating what it means to live a good life. Learning then becomes about becoming a philosopher rather than just a passive recipient of information. This sounds very similar to inquiry where students ask questions, they are curious about and spend time researching answers to learn. Innovation in this context could refer to means that teachers can change their practice to engage in philosophy as a way of life. Creativity can then be a call to imagine a different way of engaging with philosophy to live and learn more deeply.

Yet again this is enhancing my understanding of innovation, creativity and learning. It reminds me that education is not about acquiring knowledge or information but about becoming someone capable of living thoughtfully and intentionally like a philosopher. This has also showed me that creativity and innovation in philosophy and education can mean returning to older practices rather than constantly seeking something new. After reading this article, I wonder: How might modern educators bring this idea of “living philosophy” into the classrooms?

References:

Hadot, P., Simmons, J. A., & Marshall, M. (2005). There Are Nowadays Professors of Philosophy, but not Philosophers. The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 19(3), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1353/jsp.2005.0021

Comments

  1. Jennifer HastingsFebruary 19, 2026 at 1:25 PM

    Hello Jesse
    I find Hadot’s (2005) view on how our current society is distracted by wanting more consumer things, and on keeping up appearances, rather than focusing on what is important for a good life, very true in the current state. I think the changes in the economy are having people reflect on what is really a need vs. what is a want. I like your idea of teaching students to reflect and question what a ‘good life’ is and how that helps shape their goals and plans. This is also true for us as adults. What is being a good teacher/parent/spouse/citizen? How are we taking that information into our planning and focus? Being innovative means taking the time to reflect and learn; this is true in life choices as well.

    To answer your question, one way teachers may bring the idea of living philosophy into their classrooms is to have students do a web of wants vs. needs. I did this with my grade one students and we used it for a writing project. I found it was very humbling; they really understood the concept.

    A good resource for primary teachers is the book Needs vs Wants vs Robots by Michael Rex.

    Jennifer

    Reference:

    Hadot, P., Simmons, J. A., & Marshall, M. (2005). There Are Nowadays Professors of Philosophy, but not Philosophers. The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 19(3), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1353/jsp.2005.0021

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