The Association of Philosophy Teachers Conference Report

Paul Moore-Bridger reports from an exciting new frontier for philosophy.

The Association of Philosophy Teachers (APT) held its inaugural annual conference at King Edward’s School, Birmingham on Monday 26th June 2023. The idea for a national association of philosophy teachers arose out of a series of lockdown-era video calls in 2020 between one Paul MooreBridger, Head of Philosophy at King Edward’s School and Meena Dhanda of Wolverhampton University. It may well never have seen the light of day after this lengthy period of gestation but for the skilful midwifery of Simon Kirchin, energetic organisational genius and Director of the British Philosophical Association and the generous support of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, the publisher Who the Hell is...? and this very magazine, Philosophy Now.

Delegates gathered from around the country to hear a typically impassioned appeal on behalf of philosophy in schools from Sheffield University’s Professor Angie Hobbs, perhaps the discipline’s best-known champion in the UK. She took her cue from Jane Gatley’s recently published book Why Teach Philosophy in Schools? (Bloomsbury 2023), which argues for philosophy’s position in the statutory curriculum due to its ability to help people think clearly about everyday concepts. Angie developed a much broader justification, focusing on the subject’s ability to deliver a whole range of epistemic, ethical and civic benefits should an enlightened government give it a place in the statutory curriculum.