Peter Worley on using Greek myths to teach philosophy

An interesting article in the Guardian by Peter Worley, of The Philosophy Foundation. Peter writes:

“Many education professionals feel that everything has to be made relevant to the childrens’ direct experience – as if children don’t have an imagination – and that everything old needs to be updated. But there is a real danger that the universal quality of great stories, such as those found in the Odyssey, will be overlooked.”

But, he argues, the Greek myths “contain so much complexity and ambiguity that they engage young people in a much more interesting way than straight moral tales.” That’s why he believes that they provide such rich material for developing critical and philosophical thinking.

Read the full article here.

Thanks to Dan Calder for this post.