thics

Warm-up #1:
Think of someone you know who you think is a really good person. What makes that
person a good person?
Warm-up #2:
Think of something that’s pretty good.
Now think of something that’s better than pretty good, that’s good.
Now think of something that’s better than that, that’s really good.
Think of something that’s pretty bad.
Now think of something that’s worse than pretty bad, that’s bad.
Now think of something that’s worse than that, that’s really bad.
Now think of something that’s both good and bad.
Now think of something that’s neither good nor bad.
Warm-up #3:
Do you have memories that make you feel a certain way?
Can you have a memory that makes you happy?
What is happiness?
Can you be happy but feel sad?
Can you feel sad but be happy?
Can you be happy and sad at the same time?
What makes you happy?
Warm-up #4:
Think of something:
You’re glad has happened
You wish had happened
You wish hadn’t happened
You’re glad didn’t happen
Epistemology
Warm-up #1:
Think a big thought (about something small)
Think a small thought (about something big)
Think a really hard thought (about something soft)
Think softly. Can you?
Think a funny thought
Think a serious thought
Think of a part of your body: think of your foot
Think of your hand
Think of your head
Think of your mind: What is your mind?
Think of something that’s true: What is true?
Think of something that’s false: what is false?
How do you know the difference between true and false?
Warm-up #2
Think the biggest thought you can.
Think the tiniest thought you can.
Think the oldest thought you can.
Think the newest thought you can. Can you think of an even newer one?
Think of something really good.
Think of something really bad.
What makes something good or bad?
Warm-up #3:
Let’s start by all thinking together.
What’s a thought we can share?
Can we all think about the same thing?
Let’s all think about the sky. Are we all thinking the same thing?
Let’s all think about a dog. Are we all thinking the same thing?
Can we all have different thoughts? Is it possible that every one could think of
something different?
What are you thinking about right now? What about now?
How long is now?
Warm-up #4:
Let’s all think really really hard…about something really soft.
Let’s all have really big thoughts…about something small.
Let’s all think of the same thing
Let’s all think of something different
What’s your favorite thought?
What’s your least favorite thought?
Let’s all think about something we know.
What is something we wonder about?
Do you ever wonder what it means to be a friend?
What can you be friends with?
Warm-up #5:
Think of something in the past
Think of something in the future
Think to yourself
Think to someone else
Think something you know
Think something you don’t know
What makes something what it is?
What makes a duck a duck?
What makes a chair a chair?
What makes your teacher your teacher?
Warm-up #6:
Think the biggest thought you can.
Think the tiniest thought you can.
Think the oldest thought you can.
Think the newest thought you can. Can you think of an even newer one?
Think of something about yourself.
Think of something about someone else.
What’s the difference between you and someone else?
What makes you you?
Warm-up #7:
Let’s start by wondering. What are you wondering about?
Can you wonder about what you’re wondering about?
What are you thinking about? Can you think about what you’re thinking about?
How many of you are thinking about tomorrow? What’s it like to think a thought about
the future?
Can you think a thought about the past?
What are thoughts like? What are they made of? Can you build thoughts?
Think of an elephant. Now put a hat on it. Now, on top of the hat, put a bird. Now
change the color of it.
What color are thoughts? Can you think a green thought? A red thought? What about a
super-bright thought?
Can thoughts make you feel things? Can a thought make you happy? Can it make you
laugh? What about scared? Can a thought make you scared?
Here’s a story…
When it’s dark out, I….
Warm-up #8:
Let’s all think. What are you thinking about?
Can you think about what you’re thinking about?
Let’s try wondering. What are you wondering about?
Can you wonder about what you’re wondering about?
Do you ever wonder about what is real?
What’s something that’s real?
What’s something that isn’t real?
Can you think of something that isn’t real, but seems real?
Can you think of something that is real but doesn’t seem real?
How can you tell if something is real?
Are dreams real?
Are thoughts real?
Are you real?
Something I wish that was real is…
Warm-up #9:
Is anyone NOT thinking?
What are you NOT thinking about?
Do you ever think about yourself?
When you think about yourself, what do you think about?
Can you think about your foot? Your hand? Your head?
Can you think about your mind?
When you think about your mind, what is doing the thinking?
Can you imagine you were something else? What?
Can you imagine your were nothing? If you were nothing, what would you be?
Do you ever wonder who you are?
How do you know who you are?
Could someone convince you that you weren’t you? How?
When I think of myself, I know…
Warm-up #10:
Write down something you believe and something you know.
Warm-up #11:
Write down something you know about yourself.
Write down something you don’t know about yourself.
Write down something pretty much everyone who knows you knows about you.
Write down something hardly anyone who knows you knows about you.
Warm-up #12:
Think of someone you think of as a really good friend. What makes this person a good
friend?
Aesthetics
Warm-up #1:
Write down something that you think is beautiful and two reasons why you think it’s
beautiful, and write down something that you think is ugly and two reasons why you
think it’s ugly.
Warm-up #2:
What is your favorite art form (music, literature, visual arts, dance, poetry, film,
theater, etc.)? What about it do you like most?
Warm-up #3:
Think of something (and write down if appropriate):
Visually beautiful
Visually ugly
Tastes delicious
Tastes disgusting
Smells fragrant
Smells stinky
Feels really good
Feels really awful
Sounds great
Sounds terrible
Warm-up #4:
Think a red thought
Think a blue thought
Think a green thought
Think a yellow thought
Think a purple thought
Think an orange thought
Think a clear transparent thought
Metaphysics
Warm-up #1:
If you had to describe yourself using only 5 words, what would they be? Write them
down.
Warm-up #2:
Think of something that’s real.
Is there a way it might not be real?
Think of something that’s not real.
Is there a way it could be real?
Warm-up #3:
Think of (and write down) something that happened (or is happening)
In the Present
1 minute ago
1 hour ago
1 day ago
1 year ago
5 years ago
10 years ago
Your earliest memory
Now, return to the present and think of something:
1 minute from now
1 hour from now
1 day from now
1 year from now
5 years from now
10 years from now
As far in the future as you can imagine
Warm-up #4:
Think of:
Something that is
Something that was
Something that will be
Something that won’t be
Something that could be
Something that can’t be
Something that should be
Something that shouldn’t be
Something you wish was
Warm-up #5:
Think of:
Something that exists
Something that doesn’t exist
Something that might exist
Something that might not exist
Something that could exist be doesn’t
Something that doesn’t exist but could
Something that used to exist
Something the will exist
Something you will existed
Social and Political Philosophy
Warm-up #1:
Think of something that’s fair.
Think of something that’s unfair.
Think of something that’s both fair and unfair.
Think of something that’s neither fair nor unfair.
Warm-up #2:
If you had the power to decide on one rule that should govern society, what would it
be?
General Critical Thinking
Warm-up #1:
Think about something
Remember something
Wonder about something
Think about thinking
Remember about remembering
Wonder about wondering
Think about remembering
Remember about wondering
Wonder about thinking
Think about remembering about wondering
Remember about wondering about thinking
Wonder about thinking about remembering
Warm-up #2:
Wonder why
Wonder how
Wonder what
Wonder when
Wonder who
Wonder if