With so many students unable to start their studies in person this fall, "back to school" is somewhat of a misnomer. But the abnormality of this year makes it the perfect time to re-evaluate what we think school is and should be. We present to you a collection of episodes questioning the concept, value, and role of education.
In 2009, John and Ken asked Stanford's then-Provost (and former John Perry student) John Etchemendy about The Very Idea of the University. Then a few years later they climbed the administrative ladder and asked outgoing Stanford President John Hennessy about The Value of a College Education. But because it's not all about college, Stanford political scientist Rob Reich joined John and Ken for a spirited discussion about the potential conflict between state-mandated education and cultural family values in Education and the Culture Wars.
And why leave education to the grownups? In a program recorded live at the University of Washington, John and Ken asked Jana Mohr Lone and an audience of 4th-graders about Philosophy for Children. Finally, in a special program originally broadcast only in the Bay Area, it was a Stanford vs. UC Berkeley smackdown, aka Philosophy and the Alma Mater.
Listen, enjoy, reflect, and let us know your thoughts in the Comments section, below!
School and Education
| Episode Title | Guest | Related Content | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Idea of the University | John Etchemendy, Provost, Stanford University | The Idea of a University | |
 | The Value of a College Education | John L. Hennessy, Tenth President of Stanford University | The Value of a College Education | |
 | Education and the Culture Wars | Rob Reich, Professor of Political Science ad Ethics in Society, Stanford University | Education and the Culture Wars | |
 | Philosophy for Children | Jana Mohr Lone, Founder and Director, Northwest Center for the Philosophy of Children, University of Washington | Children as Philosophers | |
 | Philosophy and the Alma Mater | John Etchemendy, Stanford University | Language and Thought Aging and the Well-Lived Life Politics and Cognitive Science The Idea of the University From the Minds of Babies Social Reality |