Tussen droom en daad: de toekomst van het filosofieonderwijs in de Vlaamse middelbarescholen

Abstract

In contrast to several other European countries, a formal philosophy course is at present absent from the curriculum of Flemish SecondarySchools (FSS) in Belgium. In this article, we offer a pleafor the necessary inclusion of philosophy as an independent mandatory subject in the FSS curriculum. Our line of argument takes into accountthree basic parameters: alternative conceptions of (i) teaching and (ii) philosophy,and competing (iii) educational aims of teaching philosophy. We substantiate our preference for a cultural-humanistic approach to teaching, a view of philosophyas an autonomous discipline with its own topics, texts and history,and aninitiation in the philosophical tradition of Western civilisation as the primary aimof teaching philosophy.Against the backdrop of this ideal argumentation,we evaluate in the context of Flanders’ contemporary educational reality the informal presence of philosophical practices in, for example, technical schooling,religious educationand other non-philosophical instruction, education for democratic citizenship, and philosophy for children. In addition,we suggest some possible remedies for the current deplorable situation in the hope that the Flemish government- and in its wake the community and catholic educational networks - will int he not too distant future officially legislate for the formal inclusion of philosophy as a separate compulsory course in the FSS curriculum.