My class of college students and inmates can get loud and rowdy, with everyone engaged. This is what philosophy should look like • This essay was originally published as Socrates Would Be Pleased on Aeon.co At 8.30am sharp, a white van pulls up to the North Carolina college campus where the Outsiders are huddled in their black shirts, sleepy-faced but in good spirits. They pile in quickly, knowing there is a tight schedule to stick to. A 10-minute drive from campus, then the van pulls up under the arch of a large metal gate crowned with razor wire. By 8.45am, the Outsiders are standing in line, placing their possessions in plastic bins and waiting for the no-nonsense guards to pat them down and rifle through their things. They’re checking: are all cellphones securely locked in the van? Has the driver checked in their keys at the front desk? The Outsiders know the drill. They know that their clothing should be neutral and moderate. They know that IDs and visitor cards should be out and ready, bags open for inspection. Every beep of the metal detector makes everyone go tense, and slows things down. The Outsiders know that everything needs to go smoothly so that at 9am sharp we can make it to Room 209 of the main building where another no-nonsense guard is waiting impatiently to let us in. With him is a group of women in uniforms of various shades of blue. We know them as the Insiders. In here, they are known as the “offenders”. Continue reading...