Last October 15, the Spanish network of Philosophy denounced in a statement the internship disappearance of the Philosophy in the Education Compulsory Secondary Education. The LOMLOE, better known as the "Celaa law", reduces the subject "Civic and Ethical Values" to only one hour per week and the Philosophy of 4th ESO disappears from the offer of secondary school electives. This outrage has given rise to various protests by teachers, scientific societies, etc., which culminated in a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Education in Madrid.

The intended lamination of the Philosophy of our schools and institutes certainly provokes indignation, but, at least to me, it does not cause me surprise. I am not surprised that politicians do not keep their word to repair the exclusion of the Philosophy from the LOMCE as they expressed in the Proposition No of Law approved in 2018 unanimously by all political parties in Parliament. Nor am I entirely surprised that statements by leaders who once pointed out the importance of the Philosophy and pledged to ensure its presence in the teaching secondary have now become a dead letter.

I am not surprised for several reasons that, in my opinion, have to do, precisely, with the postponement of Philosophy. In an era dominated by post-truth, in which it does not seem so important that what is said conforms to reality, it is not particularly striking that the word given is not respected. I will not bore the reader with examples. Nor am I surprised by the postponement of the Philosophy on the model of Education that the LOMLOE enshrines. A Education whose fundamental goal is the acquisition of "skills" does not seem to leave much room for a discipline whose purpose is to rationally understand the totality of real things starting from their deepest causes, as Miguel García-Baró points out. This is also reflected, for example, in the increasing disappearance of Philosophy from the calls for funding of research projects.  

This effort of understanding supposes an act of a moral nature that goes beyond, far beyond, learning skills or concrete ways of "doing" things. Already the ancient philosophers pointed out that the Philosophy has to do with a certain act of the whole personality, with a total act of the core of the person. It is an act that is lacking in the man oriented in the natural worldview, who is busy in knowing how to handle what surrounds him.

Teaching Philosophy implies, therefore, inviting student to put into play the totality of his personality and not just a part of it. Exercising reflection, critical capacity in analysis and synthesis is essential in the human being. It is not a question, as some think, of overwhelming student with names, dates and summaries of theories. As Edmund Husserl once pointed out, the impulse in Philosophy has to start from things and problems. If the Philosophy is the science of the radical, it also has to be so in its procedure and in every sense. For that reason, it is a science.

I was saying that I am not surprised that there is an attempt to eliminate Philosophy. It is in line with a certain model understanding of Education, both formal and informal. But this does not reduce one iota the tragedy of its disappearance from the training of our young people. It is tragic that they are not provided with the precise tools to eliminate prejudices and are deprived of the possibility of considering the ultimate origins provided by Philosophy. To forego the opportunity to reflect, with the financial aid of the great philosophers, on problems such as freedom, the morality of human acts, truth, etc. is to miss out on what is most specific to the human being. This is what Socrates meant when he said that an unexamined life is not worth living. 

Claiming the role of the Philosophy in the training of our young people does not obey a corporate interest. Any professor of this subject who has approached his students with an authentically philosophical attitude has experienced their thirst for Philosophy . Ekai Txapartegi, professor of this subject at the University of the Basque Country, referred to this in a article published in The Conversation, where he points out that young people demand more Philosophy and less empty talk, less noise. Less blah, blah, blah and more Philosophy.

At summary, the outrage of the Philosophy consummated in the LOMLOE is not entirely surprising. Unfortunately, very unfortunately, it was coming. There is still time to defuse this surprise.