Are rights necessary? Do humans have free will? What is the meaning of life?

These are some of the questions that Colorado kids tackle at as part of the POPCO outreach program from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students lead Socratic discussions that introduce elementary, middle school, and high school to a range of philosophical topics.

Very few students encounter philosophy prior to reaching college. This program provides a valuable educational experience by allowing the students to ask these types of questions, even at an early age, and get them thinking about these issues in a more directed way.For most students this is their first exposure to the field of philosophy. POPCO classes are aligned with the teachers’ curriculum within the areas of political philosophy, inductive logic, and the relationship of philosophy to science. Presentations have been made to a variety of different classes including science, history, and English.

Since the program began over 10 years ago POPCO has visited and introduced philosophy to thousands of students across the state of Colorado, including most recently Pueblo West High School, Silverton School, Fairview High School, Niwot High School, Flatirons Elementary School, Westminster High, and Ralston Valley High School.

The POPCO program is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Department of Philosophy and the CU-Boulder Outreach Committee. For more information visit the POPCO program page at http://outreach.colorado.edu/programs/details/id/240