World History Classes Participate in “Three-Team Debate”
Mr. Shireman’s World History students participated in a social distanced, zoom enabled, three-team debate on the subject of Enlightenment political philosophy between the heavy weight philosophers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. The debate focused on two major themes: Human nature (i.e. humanity in its most basic, natural state – are humans good or evil? Or a blank slate?) and the social contract (the ideal relationship between the individual and authority).
Each team had to prepare three speeches prior to the debate, but during the debate itself, students had to think on the fly to try and prove their claims – and refute the other teams’.
Students proved their understanding of very complex philosophical tenets, and demonstrated it in a wonderfully civil discourse that lasted for the entire class period. They left the class wishing there was more time!
