Philosophy is one of the unique subjects that Ficino students take every week, from Year 1 right through to Year 8. The word ‘philosophy’ not surprisingly has its roots in Ancient Greek and literally means ‘love of wisdom’.

As part of their philosophy studies this term, some of our senior students have been investigating leadership, and are touching on the Platonic idea that leadership of the state, with all its moving parts, has a clear correlation with leadership of ourselves. We must manage the many moving parts that make up our human nature, such as our bodies, our thoughts and our feelings. Otherwise, we could be led by pleasure in the body, false opinion in the mind or selfish emotions in the heart. To do this effectively requires us to be wise and to have access to what Plato calls ‘true opinion’.

During my philosophy class with the Year 7 boys, we considered the most important quality of any leader to be self-leadership. The students, who will be school leaders next year, were asked what values were important to each of them to live their lives by, and why they were of this opinion. Their answers included kindness, loyalty, respect, courage, generosity, and care for those less fortunate than themselves. We then considered how we act when these values are challenged. One excellent response was to come into the present to overcome any fears about the future and act from there. This accords with our school motto, Rejoice in the Present.

Finally, we discussed why a true leader needs to be a follower, and the importance of a leader being under the law not above it. So, leaders must follow the law and also be followers of truth and wisdom. A philosophy lesson that has gone well, like this one, is where everyone feels motivated to contribute and through those contributions can feel themselves growing in confidence and freedom.