Page - 113 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

CHRIsTIAN (MANUAL) 113 true friends and friends who are not really friends, true bank notes and false bank notes. The problem in these cases is that we seem to have an idea of what makes something true. The difficulty lies in finding out a) if it makes sense to say there is an ideal or true prototype of something b) what characteristics would define that prototype and c) how we know if someone has those characteristics or not. In the first area, we deal with an epistemological problem. In the second area, there is also a metaphysical problem since we discuss the essential characteristics of objects or entities. In both areas, the opposite of truth and what is true is falseness and what is false. There is a third area, which we will not discuss now but which establishes a difference we must be aware of. That third area is that of morals. In this area, telling the truth is opposed to lying. You can find further resources on the concept of “truth” in the manual to www.whatisy- ourname.you, episode 1, leading idea 1 “Truth”, discussion plan “Truth” and the exercise True/False.” Exercise: Truth criteria Two important criteria for saying if a sentence is true are: 1) By definition: a) All elephants are pachyderms. b) No prime numbers can be divided. c) All footballers are athletes. 2) By evidence: a) Fire can be very destructive. b) It is cold at the North Pole. c) Long droughts kill a lot of plants. Using these criteria, try to determine whether the following statements are true or false and explain your answer. If it is not possible only due to these criteria, explain which other criteria you have used. 1) Firefighters are generally brave people. 2) Every circle is round. 3) All apples are vegetables. 4) All potatoes are vegetables. 5) Cats often like milk. 6) A lot of bridges are made of metal. 7) No bricks are made of mud. 8) Fire always burns paper. 9) Aliens do not exist. 10) There is always a tomorrow. Exercise/Discussion Plan: Seeing things as they “really are” The facilitator places an object in the middle of the room, and the participants sit in a wide circle around the object. Then, the facilitator asks the group to draw the object, including as many details as possible. The facilitator should emphasize that the details are important, and that the students must remain in their seats while they draw. (The exercise will work best if the appearance of the object differs from differ- ent perspectives. A plant is one example.)