Jocelyn asked:

Is it possible to agree yet disagree with some aspects of a philosophical essay topic? My topic is,
"Should philosophy be made compulsory in junior and senior high schools?"

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I am not sure whether you are asking: is it possible to agree and disagree with something at the same
time? Or are you asking: is it possible to agree with some aspects of an issue and disagree with
others?

In the former case, I have never been able to agree with something I disagree with (although I
sometimes have no opinion). But when you assess an argument carefully for an essay it is best to
defend a position or attack it. Pointing out the weakness in a position you choose to defend does not
mean you must disagree with that position in the final analysis. I may agree with capitalism, say; but
capitalism has many weaknesses which I would acknowledge if I were writing a defence of it.

In the latter case there are pros and cons to any essay question which you need to weigh up. Some
consequences of teaching philosophy in schools you will accept, others you will not like. Finding the
balance between the two sets of consequences will be your answer to the question.

So you might agree that philosophy should be taught because it is very interesting or provides good
mental training in some way. But you might disagree that students ought to be forced to read 18th
century philosophical texts as part of the course because a lot of the texts are often boring and 'kill'
the subject for beginners. Or you might think that reading those texts is a good thing for all of us
because at the very least it breaks the will! A good way of defending a position you agree with is to
point out its possible weaknesses (or the bits that make you uncomfortable) and try and hammer
them out of the way or argue that they aren't weaknesses at all.

Adam Gatward

I think you can just put forward the pros and cons for whether philosophy should be taught in school,
and then pick out those you agree and disagree with. Its certainly not an easy thing for you to come to
a conclusion about.

Rachel Browne