We talk with Sarah Stitzlein, author of “Teaching honesty in a populist era: Emphasizing truth in the education of citizens.” Dr. Stitzlein, a professor of education and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati, is concerned with how to teach in a political context where truth and honesty seem increasingly at risk. She contrasts the philosophical approaches of populism and the pragmatism of educational philosophers such as John Dewey.
Overview
00:00-00:41 Intros
00:41-02:10 Why the book and the title
02:10-03:15 Defining populism
03:15-04:24 Differences between left and right populism—book is mostly about right populism
O4:24-08:00 Contrasting populist and pragmatic notions of truth and honesty
08:00-09:55 Defining honesty, and what it looks like in a classroom context
09:55-11:59 Honesty as a habit, not just a virtue
11:59-13:13 Is there a difference between truth and reality?
13:13-15:36 A truth claim in an educational context
15:36-16:49 Doing honesty as a verb
16:49-21:15 Seeking truth versus seeking solutions
21:15-23:20 “Alternative facts”
23:20-24:22 Philosophy, ethics, and education
24:22-25:58 From honesty in the classroom to honesty in the wider world
25:58-27:41 Scalability
27:41-29:30 Ethical outlook on civics
29:3o-31:40 Connections between democracy and education
31:40-35:56 Impact of AI
35:56- Outro
Transcript
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References
Book “Teaching Honesty in a Populist Era: Emphasizing Truth in the Education of Citizens” By Sarah Stitzlein
Soundtrack by Poddington Bear