Philosophy section: main page This section includes the following features: Mission Statement Our Educational Philosophy Mission Statement "We exist to educate the public about the unique nature of dialogue, and its potential to: build mutual understanding, honor diversity, cultivate community, and transform our families and public institutions."   Dedicated to the cultivation of integrity Offering an Essential Education based upon: Self-directed Learning Socratic Dialogue Great Books of the World Character Education Our Educational Philosophy We are in the process of drafting a more complete statement of our educational philosophy. In the meanwhile, perhaps it can be best described by the following collection of images and metaphors: What is a school ? A school with no buildings Exploring the invisible What is integrity ? What is The Dialogue Game ®? Plato on Dialogue What are "The Great Books" ?  What is a school? (Taken from Webman's Unabashed Dictionary, 1998 Edition ) 1. A group of fishes, moving together through the ocean; 2. A group of humans, moving together through the mind. a. If they take pleasure in one another's company, and everyone in the circle is learning -- only then is it a school. b. Other concerns are merely politics and bureaucracy, which tend to produce only "factory learning." _____________________________________________________________ A School with No Buildings It is called the Invisible School because you can't see it. It has no particular buildings. It only exists when a group of persons step into the circle to learn together. When they are sitting there, you might see a school; but when they leave, there is nothing left but a building. The school is gone. They swam away. __________________________________________________________________________________ Exploring the Invisible  It is called the Invisible School because we explore the invisible realms: justice, mercy, honor, beauty, humility -- all the jewels of the human spirit. In the factory schools, it is virtually impossible to talk about the soul or the spirit. How can one expect to educate human beings in this manner?   In the Invisible School, it is the recognition of spirit and soul which gives meaning to all that we learn about the exterior, visible realm. We come together to learn about ourselves and our world. We look within to see without. ______________________________________________________________________________________   What is integrity ?  A type of wholeness, in which the total is greater than the sum of its parts    A way of learning, in which many different skills are practised simultaneously   A quality of character, when speech and action are unified   A state of being, in which all the parts are brought into a harmonious unity   A way of life, in which a set of principles are used to guide one's behavior  ____________________________________________________________________________________ What is The Dialogue Game ®?  A set of simple guidelines, based upon inquiry and respect, which accomplishes these results: 1) It allows any group to begin to engage in Socratic Dialogue; 2) It allows an experienced group to continually deepen their practice; 3) By calling it a "game", it allows the most serious work to be fun.   For further information on dialogue, visit the section on: The Dialogue Game  _____________________________________________________________________________________ Plato on Dialogue  "It is only when all these things, names and definitions, visual and other sensations are rubbed together and subjected to tests in which questions and answers are exchanged in good faith and without malice that finally, when human capacity is stretched to its limit, a spark of understanding and intelligence flashes out and illuminates the subject at hand." from The Seventh Letter __________________________________________________________________________________ What are the Great Books? Mortimer Adler, the chairman of the Encylopedia Britannica and the Paideia Group, collected this group of writings, calling it The Great Books of Western Civilization. Because of the criticism that these were all written by dead white European males, we add selections from other sources: contemporary authors, women writers, other great civilizations, any voices which add diversity, breadth, and depth to our exploration.    Top | Home | Philosophy | The Dialogue Game  | Programs | Publications  | Society for Socratic Practice | Products | Miscellaneous | Contact Us  | All materials in this site are © 1998, 2003 The Invisible School. All rights reserved. What is this? Can you guess?