If I Were Head Of State

the left side of the blogosphere is alive with chatter about discourse. we here at the franklin street hilton talked long into the night recently about this very subject. more specifically, we discussed the ubiquitious usage of arguments riddled with common logical fallacies. emily0 said that good argumentation used to be a standard component of a high school curriculum. it astounds me that it isn't any longer. college administrators never tire of bemoaning the poor writing skills of high school graduates. a solid education in argumentation and familiarity with logical fallacies would teach high school students how to think critically which would improve their writing skills.

civics is another regrettable loss in the standard high school education. most high school students can't even name the nine justices on the supreme court much less explain the history and theory behind its formation. i also question why philosophy is not a required subject in high school. making debate, civics, and philosophy part of the average high school education would not only result in better critical thinkers, writers, and readers. it would have the additional benefit of actually graduating young adults with a wide exposure to theories of moral and ethical conduct.