Philosophy by Ryan Klein
This dialogue is an attempt to understand, take seriously, and move beyond cultural relativism. I... more This dialogue is an attempt to understand, take seriously, and move beyond cultural relativism. It is my response to what I think was a failure in my undergraduate thesis.
Six friends, drawn by an ordinary remark about couches and chairs, dive into a conversation about language, reality, relativism, traditions, paradigms, genocide, and friendship.
This was my undergraduate senior thesis.
In the notorious class "Justice and the Common Good," m... more This was my undergraduate senior thesis.
In the notorious class "Justice and the Common Good," my friends and I learned to ask philosophical "what is" questions, like "What is Piety?" and "What is a Person?" We never came up with any good answers. By drawing from the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, I want to show that we failed because those questions themselves make no sense and are therefore unanswerable; they make false expectations of language, and they seek after rules that do not exist. By moving away from them, we can clarify our thinking, prevent bad problems, and continue productively in both philosophy and theology.
Ethics & Medics, November 2014
Originally written for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, this paper is an attempt to answer... more Originally written for the National Catholic Bioethics Center, this paper is an attempt to answer the question "when can pacemakers and ICDs be deactivated?" in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Classical Education by Ryan Klein
The CiRCE Institute, 2021
The CiRCE Institute, 2020
Do grades teach students? In this paper, I argue that for qualitative work, grades do not have an... more Do grades teach students? In this paper, I argue that for qualitative work, grades do not have any clear pedagogical value, and therefore grading such work means mistreating such work. Assessing the work qualitatively, on the other hand, is an essential pedagogical task.
Why go to school at all? In this graduation speech I ask students to consider the value of what t... more Why go to school at all? In this graduation speech I ask students to consider the value of what they have accomplished, and what they ought to do next. Boethius and Tolstoy seem to offer the best answers.
Conventional education rests on an anthropology of the human being as primarily a consumer of mat... more Conventional education rests on an anthropology of the human being as primarily a consumer of material goods. It therefore trains students to seek material goods. A Classical Education rests on an anthropology of the human being as oriented towards the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, and so trains its students to turn their loves towards higher things.
Teaching Documents by Ryan Klein
How should a classical teacher assess their students? I present six principles of classical asses... more How should a classical teacher assess their students? I present six principles of classical assessment: emphasize qualitative feedback, downplay quantitative feedback, emphasize self-assessment, embrace subjectivity, give students a chance to try again, and contact parents when students fail
In this document, I want to share my best attempt thus-far at developing pedagogy for a classical... more In this document, I want to share my best attempt thus-far at developing pedagogy for a classical classroom. I will explain the teaching practices I use: what the students and I do in class. This centers on four main activities: Catechism, read-alouds, seminars, and occasional lectures.
Unpublished
An appendix to a syllabus for a Literature course in a classical school.
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Philosophy by Ryan Klein
Six friends, drawn by an ordinary remark about couches and chairs, dive into a conversation about language, reality, relativism, traditions, paradigms, genocide, and friendship.
In the notorious class "Justice and the Common Good," my friends and I learned to ask philosophical "what is" questions, like "What is Piety?" and "What is a Person?" We never came up with any good answers. By drawing from the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, I want to show that we failed because those questions themselves make no sense and are therefore unanswerable; they make false expectations of language, and they seek after rules that do not exist. By moving away from them, we can clarify our thinking, prevent bad problems, and continue productively in both philosophy and theology.
Classical Education by Ryan Klein
Teaching Documents by Ryan Klein
Six friends, drawn by an ordinary remark about couches and chairs, dive into a conversation about language, reality, relativism, traditions, paradigms, genocide, and friendship.
In the notorious class "Justice and the Common Good," my friends and I learned to ask philosophical "what is" questions, like "What is Piety?" and "What is a Person?" We never came up with any good answers. By drawing from the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, I want to show that we failed because those questions themselves make no sense and are therefore unanswerable; they make false expectations of language, and they seek after rules that do not exist. By moving away from them, we can clarify our thinking, prevent bad problems, and continue productively in both philosophy and theology.