Scott Harris joins Melanie and Michael to discuss a fundamental question: why do we need education? Education is regarded as important -- but why? Why do we need it? Why should we care? Why and how is the need for education rooted deep in our nature?

This discussion founds all later ideas about education: what should be taught and how it should be taught; what goals should we aim for; how should we judge the quality of a teacher, school, pedagogy, or philosophy of education.

Scott takes us on a discussion of
-the definition of education
-why we need an education for work and all aspects of adult life
-why we need an education: how the need arises from our conceptual nature
-what subjects should be part of a good education

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Contact Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-k-harris-b037966
Contact Melanie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-katragadda-nctm-9b14522a
Contact Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/

About Scott:
Scott K. Harris (https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-k-harris-b037966) has a Bachelor of Arts in History/Psychology from Texas State University and a Master’s in Education from Lamar University. He received the Mirabeau B. Lamar Award for Teaching Excellence, and was the first teacher in Texas to receive the Quality School Teacher Award.

In his 29th year of teaching, Harris has taught U.S. History, World History, Psychology, A.P. Psychology, A.P. Macroeconomics, Philosophy, and International Baccalaureate’s capstone course Theory of Knowledge. He also coached swimming and water polo for 17 years.

Harris has guest-lectured at Texas State in Philosophy, and at the University of Texas San Antonio’s graduate school in Education. For nearly two decades he was a member of the Mind Science Foundation and the National Association of Scholars.

Harris piloted curriculum for what is now John Stossel-in-the-Classroom, serves as a consultant to Free- to-Choose Media, and is an associate producer for Izzit.org, all of which produce videos advocating liberty and economic education.

External links:
1. The School of Athens by Rafael: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Athens

2. The Lagoon by Armand Marie Leroi: https://www.amazon.com/Lagoon-How-Aristotle-Invented-Science-ebook/dp/B00INIXJL8/

3. "Aristotle's Lagoon" by the BBC:
a. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00q0hh2
b. https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/aristotles-lagoon/
c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e12pbSHrzAs

4. Good epistemological viewpoint expressed in the movie Infinity (about Richard Feynman): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMaZOCKmcVc

5. The movie Infinity about Richard Feynman: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116635/

6. Good article about Aristotle by Dr. Michael Fowler: http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/aristot2.html

7. Aristotle’s Biology by Dr. James Lennox: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-biology/

8. Aristotle: Biology by Dr. Michael Boylan: https://www.iep.utm.edu/aris-bio/

9. Philosophical Issues in Aristotle’s Biology by Dr. Allan Gotthelf and Dr. James Lennox: https://www.amazon.com/Philosophical-Issues-Aristotles-Biology-Gotthelf/dp/0521310911/

10. Aristotle on Nature and Living Things: Philosophical and Historical Studies by Dr. Allan Gotthelf: https://www.amazon.com/Aristotle-Nature-Living-Things-Philosophical/dp/0935225013/

11. Teleology, First Principles, and Scientific Method in Aristotle's Biology by Dr. Allan Gotthelf: https://www.amazon.com/Teleology-Principles-Scientific-Aristotles-Aristotle/dp/0199287953/

12. Being, Nature, and Life in Aristotle: Essays in Honor of Allan Gotthelf by Dr. James G. Lennox and Dr. Robert Bolton

13. The Philosophy of Education: https://courses.aynrand.org/campus-courses/philosophy-of-education/the-purpose-of-education/

14. The Art of Reasoning by David Kelley (we recommend you focus on classification, definition, argument analysis, and induction) https://www.amazon.com/Art-Reasoning-Introduction-Critical-Thinking/dp/0393930785/

15. The Art of Thinking by Leonard Peikoff:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkXlg0ypjqg&list=PLwC2WnAmU__VW7A0TpHtNqqwvqPTHNtzz
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkXlg0ypjqg&list=PLqsoWxJ-qmMvupo-OGr21AUS9nv3COQRw

16. Some ideas about education:
a. on the philosophy of education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWhZ3BTV1co
b. what every teacher needs to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHjJOmUNCTg
c. a resolution for teachers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGa9PjuwDKg
d. an addendum to (b) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnM8WuFjhJE
e. some fundamentals of teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp1ewz5i5UA
f. more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWhZ3BTV1co&list=PLCfm_0FgUxCmYfo_w2r3zvB8N-fDkFytZ

17. Some ideas about logic:
a. on the nature of logic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWSAub8_-Zk
b. what “understanding” really is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0cxDyHMymM
c. more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWSAub8_-Zk&list=PLCfm_0FgUxCnVzSyNZpr_yv-eyKRjgczU

Image courtesy Scott Harris.