Philosophers’ debt to their students : the South African case
Abstract
Philosophy teachers owe their students a little more than mere formal instruction of topics
popular in philosophy. What they owe their students is largely influenced by philosophy’s
claims to be a discipline that is principally dedicated to the study and fostering of wisdom.
Therefore, there is an obligation to be wise on the part of philosophy teachers so that they can
deliver that wisdom. A big part of this would involve a sort of transformation in knowledge
and character that the teachers themselves must go through as a result of engaging in
philosophy. Such transformation will not only show in ways that philosophers live their
private lives, as wise people, but will certainly show in the topics they teach their students and
how they help their students to wisely respond to their environment through an enlightened,
relevant and empowering curriculum. If philosophers fail at this task, they will only dispatch
fragmented pieces of information about philosophical topics and method that are of no use to
their students. If philosophers are unable to see the shortcomings of this approach, then they
can just as well count themselves unfit to be called (wise) teachers but technical philosophers.
The fees must fall and Rhodes must fall movement coupled with demands for decolonisation,
caught philosophers underprepared for such demands from students. Hence, in this article,
I seek to examine the legitimate demands for transformation of the curriculum and how
philosophical instruction in the country contributed to this protest, which eventually was
caricatured in some sections as unreasonable. I argue that beyond what appears as unreasonable
demands by students, there is an obligation by philosophy teachers to be responsible and
responsive to the students’ context in what they teach.