hThere is a well-known phrase by Ebbinghaus about psychology and its origins that says: “Psychology has a long past, but a short history,” and this past is called, precisely, philosophy.
One of the basic teaching premises within this discipline is the notion of philosophy as the mother of all sciences, since it is oriented to the study and analysis of the totality of reality. Philosophy essentially encompasses everything that exists, everything that occupies a place in the world.
The development of modern sciences derives from the reflections of the first thinkers; even today the observations made by Socrates and Plato continue to be applied in certain contexts. Although a more in-depth analysis of the link between psychology and philosophy can be found in , I consider it important to make this introduction because of how repetitive the idea that philosophy is useless has become in certain circles.
The good news is that, despite the systematic hierarchization of the exact sciences, philosophy has not yet been abolished from the curricula (even if it is not part of the top 3 school subjects). In schools, the importance of the observing self, curiosity and research continues to be transmitted as ways to increase knowledge and understanding of nature and reality (there are even new programs, based on research such as that of, that highlight the importance of this subject). And this is what philosophy is for… to think.
The greatness of philosophy is these things, understanding these problems, in reality this requires courage (…) Philosophy is, then, courage, José Pablo Feinmann, Argentine philosopher.
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Philosophical sentences from everyday life: the Merlí method of school teaching
Merlí is a Catalan series produced by the TV3 network. The plot revolves around a philosophy teacher (Merlí Bergeron) who aims to motivate his students to turn the act of thinking into a routine constant in their lives, for which he uses very unconventional methods that, however, seem to be effective. .
Merlí is what we would call a perfect antihero, that is, someone who has all the prominence of a conventional hero but all the defects of an ordinary person.
From the first chapter of the series, Merlí puts into practice a constructivist teaching model completely opposite to the typical usual model: the approach based on memorization and reproduction, which is personified by one of Merlí’s colleagues at the institute: Eugeni Bosc.
Merlí is seen in the series as the “strange teacher” who wants to gain the trust of his students, for which he uses empathy, speaks with them in the same language, appeals to the interests and tastes of adolescents and even goes so far as to incite them. to cheat in a literature contest.
It is not the traditional way in which the foundations of classical and modern philosophy are taught in school, but does it work?
“Just because things are one way doesn’t mean they don’t change,” Merlí would say.
The series presents a network of stories of ordinary people where the exercise of philosophy plays a determining role in assertive decision-making. Starting from the main character, Merlí, the staging is full of significantly realistic life cases, common problems and situations that any teenager could experience, such as the acceptance of sexual orientation, masturbation and sexual relations.
The plot also presents a different way of arousing interest in philosophy: showing it as a practical discipline – what it really is – rather than a set of theoretical statements.
Of course, the series also has blind spots that make us uncomfortable, such as the incompatibility between Merlí The Professor and Merlí The Man. In her professional facet, Merlí shows skill in motivating her students and cultivating a love for learning; In her personal aspect, however, we see a conflictive, extremely selfish and somewhat despotic type, qualities closer to anti-values than to the values of teaching.
I am not suggesting that the series should present a perfectly correct character to be more credible, just that the issue of “good professionals” who are bad at following ethical principles has given the educational sector many headaches and it would be more constructive to appeal to awareness. Obviously presenting a plot where it seems normal to be a better teacher than a father.
Howard Gardner already said it some time ago in an interview: “The best professionals are always ECE: excellent, committed and ethical. You do not achieve excellence if you do not go beyond satisfying your ego, your ambition or your greed.”
This makes it more feasible to learn from Merlí on an educational level than on a personal level. It’s not that watching the series is particularly instructive for improving, for example, the way we conduct our personal relationships, but I do think it epitomizes what ideally should inspire teaching, and that is daring to think differently, daring to create.
“Teaching is not transferring knowledge, but creating the possibilities for its production or construction”said Paulo Freire.
The way in which Merlí transmits the basic principles of philosophy to his students is so efficient that it goes almost unnoticed by them, thus the exercise of reflection ends up being what it should be: something natural and not an imposition.
The difference between desires and needs, good and evil, intelligence and instinct… it cannot be denied that Merlí’s raw and direct language brings with it a facility to revive our interest, and that of his students, in such topics. obvious as well as profound, which are definitely several plus points and makes the series worth watching (even if you are one of those who suspect that philosophy is useless).
Merlí presents a frankly well-done speech about the purpose of philosophy, regardless of the main character’s private life. The pros of new educational models are also exemplified, which advocate a less rigid scenario, a space where students feel free to give their opinions and question from their conception of the world and their personal experiences.
The Merlí method is unorthodox, it introduces a way of teaching philosophy without falling into the dogmatic, resorting to paraphrase and the common imagination (that is, to ordinary life situations) to understand complex statements, and this is precisely what a subject, which sadly is often left aside, requires to demonstrate that it is valuable and that it has a lot to contribute even to new generations.
You can watch the full series on Netflix.