Must physics teachers know philosophy? If yes, which one?

ORAL

Abstract

Physics is more than a booster for technology. It is a way of looking at the world that contributes to everyone's cultural growth. This must be emphasized when physics is taught at a high school level, that is, when the audience is only in small part made up of students who will later pursue STEM-type careers in college. Moreover, a physics teacher has the responsibility to get the message across to as many students as possible, so that the investment of physics education does not result in a waste of resources. In order to make a cultural approach to physics influential, interdisciplinarity is the key: a broad horizon fosters learning by students with diverse interests. Among the various possibilities for drawing cross-cultural connections, here I illustrate what philosophical topics physics teachers should be familiar with and provide a few examples of how they can be profitably used in physics classes.

Authors

  • Leonardo Colletti

    Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bressanone, Italy