【原文】
I ①The Journal of Philosophy in Schools has recently published a special edition making some robust cases for why philosophy should be taught in compulsory education. ②Among other things, essays explored the idea that an education in philosophy better equips people for ethical life, and how philosophy improves the quality of children’s thinking.
II ①Our education system has a few core failings. ②One of them is that it is consumer-led, where the students are made to think of education only instrumentally. ③By the time students get to university, they demand: 「Tell me what I need to know to pass what I』ve paid for.」 ④Philosophy provides a space to think for the sake of thinking.
III ①Democracy gives people a voice. ②What is not always remembered is that the right to a voice comes with a corresponding duty to use it responsibly and accountably. ③We need to be accountable to each other, to reason and to the facts. ④Doing philosophy – when it is done well –helps students realise what is involved in having a voice and in having power. ⑤In short, it teaches people not only to think for themselves, but also intellectual responsibility.
IV ①Philosophy also employs and encourages critical thinking. ②In this age of post-truth, 「alternative facts」 and fake news, children need tools to be able to navigate an increasingly confusing and information-rich world. ③The thinking skills afforded by doing philosophy gives students a 「room-for-doubt detector」, so that we know when to ask: 「Is that justified?」 or when we should check the facts for ourselves.
V ①If we are to have philosophy in our schools, then we need to think about how we do it. ②To meet the needs that have been outlined, it’s no good sitting exams on what Plato said. ③But, equally, it’s no good calling something philosophy that amounts to no more than the sharing of opinions. ④If philosophy is to be done in our schools, those leading it should be properly trained, and the material should be genuinely philosophical.
【詞彙短語】
1. philosophy /fɪ'lɒsəfɪ/ n. 哲學
2. robust /rə(ʊ)'bʌst/ adj. 強健的，有力的
3. compulsory education 義務教育
4. equip /ɪ'kwɪp/ v. 裝備，使有準備
5. instrumentally /,ɪnstrə'mɛntli/ adv. 工具性地
6. democracy /dɪ'mɒkrəsɪ/ n. 民主
7. accountable /ə'kaʊntəb(ə)l/ adj. 負有責任的
8. intellectual /,ɪntə'lektʃʊəl/ adj. 理智的
9. alternative /ɔːl'tɜːnətɪv/ adj. 另類的
10. navigate /'nævɪgeɪt/ v. 應對，解決
11. afford /ə'fɔːd/ v. 給予，提供
12. detector /dɪ'tektə/ n. 探測器
13. justified /'dʒʌstɪfaɪd/ adj. 合乎情理的
14. sit exams 參加考試
15. amount to 相當於，等同於
16. genuinely /'dʒenjuinli/ adv. 真正地
【翻譯點評】
I ①The Journal of Philosophy in Schools has recently published a special edition making some robust cases for why philosophy should be taught in compulsory education. ②Among other things, essays explored the idea that an education in philosophy better equips people for ethical life, and how philosophy improves the quality of children’s thinking.
翻譯：《校園哲學雜誌》最近出版的一期專刊有力地解釋了義務教育為何要教授哲學。在文章探討的眾多問題中，包含這樣一個觀點：哲學教育促使人們為道德生活做好準備。文章還探究了哲學如何改善孩子的思維品質。
點評：I段引入話題，點明主旨。①句以雜誌專刊引出話題：為何要進行哲學教育。②句以專刊內容點明哲學的作用，回應①句：哲學可以培養道德品質，改善孩子的思維品質。
II ①Our education system has a few core failings. ②One of them is that it is consumer-led, where the students are made to think of education only instrumentally. ③By the time students get to university, they demand: 「Tell me what I need to know to pass what I』ve paid for.」 ④Philosophy provides a space to think for the sake of thinking.
翻譯：我們的教育體系存在一些核心缺陷。其中一個問題是「以消費者為導向」，即學生只把教育看作一項工具。當學生進入大學時，他們會提出這樣的要求：「告訴我需要學什麼才能通過那些我已經付過錢的課程。」而哲學為學生提供了真正的思考空間。
點評：II段介紹現有教育體系的問題，並引出哲學的作用。①-③句說明教育體系的缺陷，consumer-led、instrumentally指出學生將教育看作商品，將自身看作教育的「消費者」，體現學生學習時的功利心理。④句轉折指出，在當前背景下，哲學為學生提供了真正的思考空間。think for the sake of thinking的字面意義為「為了思考而思考」，即拋卻思考的功利目的，進行真正、本質的思考。
III ①Democracy gives people a voice. ②What is not always remembered is that the right to a voice comes with a corresponding duty to use it responsibly and accountably. ③We need to be accountable to each other, to reason and to the facts. ④Doing philosophy – when it is done well –helps students realise what is involved in having a voice and in having power. ⑤In short, it teaches people not only to think for themselves, but also intellectual responsibility.
翻譯：民主給了人們發言權。但人們並不一定記得的是，發言權伴隨著相應的責任，即以負責的方式行使這項權利。我們需要對彼此，對理性和事實負責。當哲學教育得到良好的執行時，它可以幫助學生認識擁有發言權和權力意味著什麼。簡而言之，它教導人們不僅要為自己著想，還要有理智的責任感。
點評：III段說明哲學在培養責任感方面的作用。①-③句說明行使發言權的要求：以負責任的方式行使權利，即對自己所說的話負責。④句點明哲學對話語權的作用：使人們意識到擁有權力的意義。⑤句以in short總結哲學的意義，not only…themselves、intellectual responsibility回應上文accountable to…facts，說明哲學教導人們不僅要考慮自身利益，還應對他人、對事實負責。
IV ①Philosophy also employs and encourages critical thinking. ②In this age of post-truth, 「alternative facts」 and fake news, children need tools to be able to navigate an increasingly confusing and information-rich world. ③The thinking skills afforded by doing philosophy gives students a 「room-for-doubt detector」, so that we know when to ask: 「Is that justified?」 or when we should check the facts for ourselves.
翻譯：哲學也運用並鼓勵批判性思維。在這個充斥著「後真相」、「另類事實」和虛假新聞的時代，孩子們需要工具來應對這個日益混亂的、信息豐富的世界。哲學教育所帶來的思維技巧為學生提供了「懷疑空間探測器」，（藉助它）我們知道什麼時候該問「這是合理的嗎？」，什麼時候應該自己去驗證事實。
點評：IV段說明哲學在培養批判性思維方面的作用。①句總述意義。②句介紹現實背景，凸顯哲學的意義：在當下這個充滿虛假信息的時代，需要有效的工具（即哲學）幫助孩子辨別信息。③句說明哲學的作用：幫助學生明確何時該發問，何時該自己思考。「room-for-doubt detector」（「懷疑空間探測器」）指「了解何時應該發問的能力」，即本段①句所指的critical thinking（批判性思維）。
V ①If we are to have philosophy in our schools, then we need to think about how we do it. ②To meet the needs that have been outlined, it’s no good sitting exams on what Plato said. ③But, equally, it’s no good calling something philosophy that amounts to no more than the sharing of opinions. ④If philosophy is to be done in our schools, those leading it should be properly trained, and the material should be genuinely philosophical.
翻譯：如果要將哲學引入學校，那麼我們必須要思考該怎麼做。以「柏拉圖說過什麼」作為考試內容對滿足上述需求毫無益處。但同樣地，將哲學等同於分享觀點也毫無益處。如果要在學校裡教授哲學，負責這項工作的人應當接受適當的訓練，教學材料應當具備真正的哲學性。
點評：V段提出開展哲學教育的建議。①句將話題從「哲學的意義」過渡到「怎樣開展哲學教育」。②、③句先否定了錯誤的做法：機械地考查哲學家（Plato）的言論或將哲學等同於分享觀點都不是哲學教育的正確做法。④句說明正確的做法：對哲學教學人員進行適當的培訓，選用真正具有哲學性的教學素材。