Back to Complexity: The Right Answer for Education

Abstract

Introduction:  In recent years citizens of our nation have demanded that schools place more emphasis on teaching the basics - the so-called three R's.  Their efforts, however well intentioned, are misguided.  Though problems do exist (i.e., declining test scores, graduating functional illiterates, etc.), evidence suggests that the difficulty rests not in the teaching of basic skills, but in our schools' inability or unwillingness to teach complex reasoning skills.  Although an explanation of the motivations supporting the "back-to-basics" movement is presented, along with a composite description of what "back to basics" means, this paper focuses on the fourth R - reasoning.  It is with this complex skill that our schools should be concerned, and, as is argued in this paper, Matthew Lipman's Philosophy for Children program is an appropriate vehicle for moving us in that direction.