Social Justice in Plato and Aristotle

Was either Plato or Aristotle a crusader for social justice? Plato and Aristotle (or any other ancient Greek) were not pursuing “social justice” in the activist sense. Could they respond, they would claim that justice is justice wherever it is to be found, and injustice is injustice in any context, and to look specifically at “social justice” in the sense of activism would be to miss the point....

Are collective moral constructs for the masses an ...

Certainly the statement that collective moral constructs for the masses is an unattainable goal stays true for any attempt to impose morals from outside. However, morality when not imposed, could result in a construct collectively shared by a mass of people. In fact, you could argue that any common culture includes a moral construct shared by a large group of people. The real question then moves to the origin of such...

Philosophical thoughts

I’ve been taking some classes, including an ethics class. The reading has been fascinating, and I was required to write a few things. Some of that seems interesting enough to stand alone, so I’ll be posting it here.

Minority representation in Waldorf – Part 5

Why is minority representation in the Waldorf movement is so low? Much research shows that hiring processes based primarily around interviews are inherently biased against minorities, as well as a very poor indication of actual subsequent job performance. In the interview process, people tend to screen for the type of person that like to hang out with, rather than for actual abilities. This is why research has shown the...

Minority representation in Waldorf – Part 4

Why is minority representation in the Waldorf movement is so low? So far I have focused mostly on the question of enrollment. The final factor is doubtless faculty. It would seem obvious that a Waldorf school with strong minority representation on the faculty will tend to attract more minority students, though in reality that would be a point for further research. A nearly all-white faculty as exists in most Waldorf schools...

Minority representation in Waldorf – Part 3

Why is minority representation in the Waldorf movement is so low? In addition to the "Waldorf schools are no better, though no worse, than anywhere else in society" reasons that I outlined in my last post, there may be additional things particular to the nature of Waldorf schools that additionally work to discourage minorities from applying. This area, too, requres more inviestigation. One area to look would be...

Minority representation in Waldorf – Part 2

Why is minority representation in the Waldorf movement so low? With demographics (as I discussed in my last post) being to my mind the largest factor, there are still plenty of other reasons why minorities may or may not be attracted to Waldorf schools. In preparing and teaching my “Minorities and the American Experience” course I read through quite a few books on the sociology of race relations in late 20th and...

Minority representation in Waldorf – Part 1

Someone asked me recently why minority representation in the American Waldorf movement is so low. That got me thinking, and I have a few ideas. The Waldorf school of Garden City is the most diverse Waldorf school in North America (if by diversity you mean lots of different minorities; The Baltimore Waldorf School and the Milwaukee Waldorf Charter have more nonwhites in total, though they are all from one group). The reasons...