Philosophy, powerful weapon against the system

                                    Civic education and civic responsibility should be taught in elementary school. — D. Brazile

The Government has eliminated all traces of Philosophy in ESO, with a clear interest in continuing to dissuade the working class from critical thinking 

In 2018, the parties unanimously approved the Proposition No of Law to include a complete cycle of Philosophy in Secondary and Baccalaureate, something that the Government has now failed to comply with. The new educational law, the LOMLOE, although it has recovered the presence of Philosophy as a compulsory subject in 2nd year of Baccalaureate, it has eliminated all traces in ESO. It has not even replaced the Philosophy of 4th year of ESO by Ethics, as demanded by the teachers. Instead, he has created the Civic Values ​​course, which will only consist of one hour a week. 

 From the Spanish Philosophy Network (REF) they dismiss as a "flagrant contradiction" the fact that the LOMLOE refers to the need to promote "critical reflection" while, on the other hand, the matter that enhances this knowledge "disappears". The REF also recalls that Pedro Sánchez himself assured in 2015 that "Ethics is a fundamental part of the curricular content in ESO for all students" and "Philosophy, a fundamental knowledge". 

 Antonio Lastra Meliá, professor of Philosophy at the Camp de Túria Institute (Valencia) explained to the newspaper elcierredigital.com that “Philosophy is the subject that allows them to question things. They have a mission, an agenda and a purpose. It allows them to question even all those agendas and purposes. If this disappears, the student will have less discipline and will lack the ability to ask many questions. In the current high school it is already late. Less demanding 

Antonio Lastra explains that “the weight of Philosophy in the educational system is less and less because education is less and less strong in every way. What educational laws do is reduce the level of demand of the students. Less is offered and asked for. In that sense, Philosophy is a strong subject, since it is about making the student think. Without it they will not be people prepared to ask themselves questions and be critical. You are not doing them a favor.

 Educational laws in this country have always been oriented towards systematic memorization and low critical awareness. Even so, it is true that subjects such as Ethics and Philosophy have always been the ray of light between this tendency to learning without reflection, sometimes accompanied by good Literature or History teachers - and other subjects - who like to create debate among students on the different topics that are addressed. Although the special thing about Philosophy is that its only objective is that, as the TV3 Merlí series so beautifully reflects. But, as Lastra affirms, in recent years, educational laws have been oriented towards a lower demand on students, which does a disservice to future generations. 

 The best slave does not think 

                            Education in a Decadent Society

By having a decentralized educational system, the autonomous communities will be able to offer the subject as an optional in 4th year of ESO. In this regard, Professor Antonio Lastra states that “this raises more inequalities between the seventeen educational systems. When the subject of Strong Ethics disappears, which will be replaced by Civic Values, the student will not have the ability to reflect on anything. He will have many subjects, but not the ability to relate them and ask himself the great questions of life. 

 Here comes the big question: isn't that what you are looking for? When a few years ago Albert Rivera and Ciudadanos in general proposed subjects oriented to the world of work to the detriment of the Humanities, was it not perhaps their intention to end the reflection? It is no secret to anyone that there is no better slave than someone who does not know that he is. And there is no better worker than the one who, despite being exploited, defends his company tooth and nail.

 If you don't study, don't think 

Critical reflection is the most powerful weapon against ignorance, much more than having a higher education. This fact, by itself, does not mean anything, despite what is usually believed. A person who has studied Vocational Training but understands how the world works and questions everything has things clearer than someone who has studied five careers learning by heart and automatically taking as true everything that he puts in the books.

This is why they want to eliminate all traces of Philosophy before high school. Why does a person in the 4th year of ESO who does not plan to pursue higher education need to reflect on anything? What's more, her Middle Degree or FP studies will take her to the job market sooner, where what is expected is submission and automatic acceptance. Why does someone with a basic education need the ability to reflect?

 A favor to capitalism 

When Professor Antonio Lastra commented that, by demanding less from the student body, "you are not doing them a favor," one might ask: who is really doing a favor? Precisely the employers and the business community, who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of new resources that do not even know their labor rights, who have not heard of the Workers' Statute or know that improvements are achieved with union, with strikes and with savings banks. resistance - a mechanism that allows the most vulnerable people to survive during strikes. Candy for capitalism. 

 For this reason, although, without a doubt, the Civic Values ​​subject can be useful in the first cycle of ESO, in 4th year we must take another step, foster critical awareness and question absolutely everything that surrounds us, precisely because Many of these people are now close to finishing their studies and facing a real world that is increasingly savage and dehumanized.