The day of philosophical dialogue for participants of “School of success”

On July 4, The Aspen Institute Kyiv held a day of philosophical dialogues, which became part of the 10-day educational project “School of Success”, organized by Klitschko Foundation for adolescents aged 14-16. The project aims to give knowledge and skills of the XXI century to proactive teenagers from all over Ukraine.

The day of dialogues took place in the format of three online sessions, during which teenagers read and discussed the works of classical and modern thinkers, openly expressed their opinions on fundamental worldview issues, and worked together on a group project.

– Basing on the works of the classics of philosophy of Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes, the participants found out what makes a state just or unjust, what is the place of an individual in it and what motivates people to compete and what to unite.

– Discussing the work of sociologist Norbert Elias and contemporary philosopher Francis Fukuyama, the participants reflected on the dependance of our self-perception on others, and the role of trust in personal relationships, building social institutions and international cooperation.

– On the example of a thought experiment proposed by economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, teenagers discussed the problem of a just social contract, exchange and distribution of goods.

– Young thinkers discussed biographies and success stories of modern innovators – creators of Facebook, SpaceX, Twitter, as well as tried to understand what makes a person a leader, what is the role of creativity in creating innovation and what is the future of technology.

– The participants worked on their own group projects, planning an imaginary expedition to Mars: they established goals, set the rules of interaction, developed the principles of governance and distribution of goods.

The dialogue sessions were moderated by the poetess, journalist, founder of Kyiv Market, radio host “Aristocrats” – Miriam Dragina and PhD, teacher of sociology at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, founder of Big Brother School – Anastasia Donska.

The online meeting was attended by 38 proactive girls. A similar seminar for boys will take place on July 22.