The Occupy Movement:
Applications in the Philosophy Classroom
“OCCUPY WALL STREET is a leaderless people powered movement for democracy
that began in America on September 17 with an encampment in the financial district of
New York City. Inspired by the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising and the Spanish
acampadas, we vow to end the monied
corruption of our democracy.” – Adbusters
Magazine
"I see the president’s rhetoric of envy
inflaming the public and saying, ‘Go get yours
because rich people don’t deserve it.' I see it
as inflaming this Paris mob that I hope doesn't
result in a lawlessness where they say, 'Well,
gosh, those nice iPads through the window
should be mine and why don't I throw a brick
through the window to get them because rich
people don't deserve to have them when I can't
have them.'" Rand Paul, U.S. Senator from
Kentucky
Anchoring Questions:
1. What are the explicit goals of OWS?
2. OWS claims to be leaderless. Is this
possible? Is it a strength or weakness?
3. OWS claims to be transformational. What
is being transformed? And transformed into
what?
4. Other than its visibility and disruptiveness,
has OWS had an impact? If so, what is it?
5. Grassroots/egalitarian movements usually disappear or evolve into something else
to improve their effectiveness. In the short and long terms, what is the efficacy of OWS?
Are we witnesses to/participants in a new kind of public social justice movement?
6. Will OWS have to institutionalize and politicize to be effective? Or, is OWS utopian
and therefore ‘no-where’?
Prepared by Jamie Smith: Jamie@jasman.ca
7. Given the differences in the Canadian and American/European finance systems, is
OM relevant in Canada? If so, how?
8. OM is critical of the distribution of wealth, but has no discernable plan to reform
it/make it more equitable. The 1% just has to wait OM out. Is this OM’s fatal flaw?
Issues Raised
Fairness, justice as fairness, social justice, self-interest vs. enlightened self-interest, self-interest
vs. community-interest, individualism vs. communitarianism
Curriculum connections
Grade 11:
Among others, this course addresses the following question: What is a just society?
Overall Expectations:
By the end of this course, students will:
• relate the big questions of philosophy to their own experience, reports in the news media, and their
society;
• demonstrate the application of philosophical theories and skills to jobs, occupations, and everyday life.
• identify philosophical theories and presuppositions in natural science, history, art, social
science and humanities, and other subjects;
• demonstrate how philosophical skills that are used to address the big questions of philosophy can be used
effectively in other subjects.
Grade 12:
Social and Political Philosophy:
Overall Expectations:
• demonstrate an understanding of the main questions, concepts, and theories of social and political
philosophy;
• evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the responses to the main questions of social and political
philosophy defended by some major philosophers and schools of philosophy, and defend their own
responses;
• identify instances of theories of social and political philosophy that are presuppositions in everyday life.
Ethics:
Overall Expectations:
• illustrate the relevance of philosophical theories of ethics to concrete moral problems in
everyday life;
• demonstrate an understanding of how philosophical theories of ethics are implicit in other subjects.
Occupy Toronto:
http://occupyto.org/
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/krystalline-kraus/2012/04/activist-communiqu%C3%A9decolonizing-%E2%80%98occupy%E2%80%99-toronto
Occupy Wall Street:
http://occupywallst.org/
OWS and Philosophy:
http://www.possible-futures.org/2012/01/25/occupy-philosophy/
Roundup of critical reactions to OWS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_Occupy_Wall_Street
OWS and the role of educators of critical thinking:
https://www.freespeech.org/taxonomy/term/251?page=1
Prepared by Jamie Smith: Jamie@jasman.ca