The Ten Lenses of Philosophical Inquiry
Philosophical Inquiry Research Project1
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust
A huge part of Philosophical Inquiry is learning how to see the world with new eyes. To accomplish this goal, you will be
introduced to the “ten lenses of philosophical inquiry.” The ten lenses of philosophical inquiry are tools to help us critically engage
with, and analyze ourselves, and the world around us. Like a pair of glasses, the ten lenses help to change our perception and give us
the power to re-examine our reality. In this philosophical inquiry research project you will get introduced to each of the ten lenses sothat you become comfortable using the lenses both inside and out of our class. You will also learn more about a philosopher, theirphilosophy and the lens of philosophical inquiry that they are most clearly connected to.

Focus Question
What are the ten lenses of philosophical inquiry, and what are some examples of how they areconnected to the philosophies of different philosopher’s throughout history?

Philosophical Inquiry Research Process
1) QUESTION - Develop the philosophical questions that you will use to drive your inquiry.
2) PLAN – Determine the types of sources that you will need to answer your questions.
3) GATHER EVIDENCE – Gather the information (textual, visual, quantitative, etc.) you need to
explore and answer your questions.
4) ANALYZE – Analyze the answers to your questions, making sure to keep in mind the larger
focus question guiding this inquiry.
5) COMMUNICATE CONCLUSIONS – Use evidence and reasons to write an organized(logically sequenced) explanation to the inquiry’s topic/focus question. Share your findings in
our community of inquiry, and record the findings of others.
6) ACTION – Apply what you learned in your inquiry to take action in your life.

The Ten Lenses of Philosophical Inquiry2
Lens

Definition

Essential Questions

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is the branchof philosophy concernedwith the nature andappreciation of beauty.

••

What is beauty?
What is beautiful?

Kant
PicassoMaya Lin
Leonardo DaVinci
Vincent Van Gogh
Andy Warhol
MozartCultureCulture includes allthings that society passes
from one generation to
the next. (For example:
beliefs, values, traditions,art, language, etc.)•

If all cultures have the same elements, what are someexample of how they are different?
How do different cultures choose what they pass downfrom one generation to the next?
How does the legacy of early groups and individuals
influence subsequent groups and generations?

Maya Angelo
Joseph Campbell
bel hooks
Samuel Kamakau
Israel “Iz” Ka‘anoi Kamakawiwo‘ole
Voltaire
Alice Walker
Harriet Beecher Stowe
John Lennon
Robert Nesta Marley
Nel Noddings
Friedrich Nietzsche••

Example Philosophers

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SSPI.1.4 Philosophical Community of Inquiry – Ten Lenses of Philosophical Inquiry; SSPI.3.1 Philosophical Inquiry Research – Developing Questions; SSPI.3.2
Philosophical Inquiry Research – Planning Inquiries; SSPI.3.3 Philosophical Inquiry Research – Using Evidence; SSPI.3.4 Philosophical Inquiry Research –Analyzing Data, Evidence and Information; SSPI.3.5 Philosophical Inquiry Research – Communicating Conclusions; SSPI.3.6 Philosophical Inquiry Research –Taking Action
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The ten lenses of philosophical inquiry are based off of a Western academic philosophical tradition and worldview.

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Lens

Definition

Economic

The study of how
individuals and groups
make decisions about the
distribution of resources(e.g. labor, land, time,money).
Epistemology is thebranch of philosophy thatexamines the origin,nature, and limits ofhuman knowledge.

••

How do we decide who gets what resources?
Who gets what resources?

••

How do I know what I know?
What is knowledge?

Ethics

Ethics is the branch ofphilosophy that examines
what is right and wrong(morals)?

••

What is moral?
What is right and what is wrong?

Interaction
Between
Humans andtheEnvironment

The study of therelationship between
humans and nature (e.g.
geography, land, ocean,
climate, etc.)?

••

What is our relationship with our environment?
Who will take care of the environment?

Logic

Logic is the branch ofphilosophy that examines
the methods of reasoning
and argumentation.

•••

Is my reasoning logical?
What are good methods for thinking reasonably?
How do I make a logical arguments?

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is the branchof philosophy that
explores being andexistence.

••

What is real?
Do I exist?

Lord Buddah
Daniel Dennett
Rene Descartes
Sigmund Freud
His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama
Karen Horney
Aldous HuxleyCarl Jung
Laozi
Plato
Ayn RandJean-Paul Sarte
Nagarjuna

Politics

Politics encompasses the
distribution of power; theways in which societydelegates authority tomake decisions and thepower to enforce thosedecisions.

•

What is the relationship between power, authority, andpolitical structure?
Who has power and authority?

Susan B. Anthony
Hannah Arendt
Zack De La Rocha
Michel Foucault
Mahatma Gandhi
Che Gueverra
Thomas Jefferson
David Kalakaua
Kamakaʻeha, Lydia LIli'u Loloku
Walania Wewehi
John F. Kennedy
Aung San Suu Kyi
Thomas Paine
Haunani Kay Trask
Mary Wollstonecraft
Malcolm X
Abraham Lincoln
Niccolo Machiavelli
Barack Obama

Epistemology

Essential Questions•

Example Philosophers
Freidrich Engles
Adam Smith
Karl MarxJohn Keynes
FDR
Rosa Luxembourg
Albert Einstein
John Dewey
Dorthy HodgkinWilliam JamesBF Skinner
Socrates
Manu Meyer
St. Thomas Acquainas
Immanuel Kant
Soren Kierkergard
Peter Singer
Adam Smith
Mother Theressa
Mary Midgely
Confucius
Rachel Carson
Severn Cullis –Suzuki
Charles Darwin
Jared Diamond
Henry David Thoreau
Galieleo Galilei
Nainoa Thompson
Chuang-Tzu
Aristotle
Noam Chomsky
Hypatia
Nishida Kitaro
Ludwig Wittgenstein

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Lens

Definition

SocialThe social lens examines
the organization ofindividual society
members into groups andcategories (e.g. families,
ethnic groups, gender,and classes).

Essential Questions••

Example Philosophers

How are we organized into groups?
How do the social groups we belong to have an impact
on our lives?

Simone De Beauvior
Paulo Freire
Betty Frieden
Nelson Manela
Martin Luther King Jr.
Florrence Nightengale

1) Questiona) SELECT – Start by randomly selecting one of the ten lenses to focus on in your inquiry. Readthrough the definition of the lens, and the essential questions associated with that lens. Next,
choose a philosopher associated with that lens to inquire about in your research project.
b) QUESTION – Generate five philosophical questions about your philosopher and theirphilosophy. Make sure that each of your five questions meet the following criteria:•
Uses the Good Thinker’s Tool Kit•
Is something that you genuinely wonder about•
Relates to/will help you answer the focus question

2) Plana) DETERMINE SOURCES - Before you answer your questions, determine the types of sourcesthat you will need to best answer your questions. Make sure that at least one of these sources
is a primary source and one is a secondary source (see the distinction below). Also keep inmind that you will need to include a bibliography for the sources that you use3.
What is the difference between a primary and secondary source?
Retrieved from http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html on June 26, 2013.
PRIMARY SOURCESECONDARY SOURCE

Definition: “A primary source is a document or physical object which was
written or created during the time under study. These sources were
present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of aparticular event”

Definition: “A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources.
These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary
sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources inthem”

Types:• ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable):
Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage,
autobiographies, official records• CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art• RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings

Types:•PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms,commentaries, encyclopedias

Examples:Diary of Queen Lili‘uokalani – Experiences of the illegal overthrow of
the Hawaiian monarch
The U.S. Constitution - American History
A journal article reporting NEW research or findings
Pictures of Japanese Picture Brides – Japanese-American history.

Examples:A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous
findings
A history textbook
A book about the effects of plantations in Hawai‘i3

Author last name, author first initial. (date page was created). Title of the page. Foundation, group or corporation that sponsored the page. Retrieved on today’s date,from web page.
For example: Pappas, P. (1999) Analyzing primary sources. International Center for Research on Education. Retrieved January 2, 2007, fromhttp://www.edtec.com/dbq/ more/analyzing.htm.

33) Gather Evidencea) READ - Read through your sources, and explore your questions.
b) WRITE – Write answers to your questions, and record your answers using the note-taking
format outlined below.
F.Q. - What are the ten lenses of philosophical inquiry, and what are some examples of how they are connectedto the philosophies of different philosopher’s throughout history?
Questions
Answers
Relationship to the FQ
1. What are some examples of texts
written by the philosopher Hypatia?

Historians are unsure if Hypatia wrote any texts on her own.
It appears as if she collaborated with her father to write many
books. However, because she was a woman, she might havewritten the book on her own, but she was not given credit for
it. The books were:•
A Commentary on the 13-Volume Arithmetica•
A Commentary on the Conics of Apollonius•(edited) Ptolemy’s Almagest•(edited) her father’s Commentary on Euclid’s Elements•
Astronomical Canon
Source: Zielinski, S. (2010). Hypatia, ancient Alexandria’s
great female scholar. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved fromhttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/womenshistory/Hypatia-Ancient-Alexandrias-Great-FemaleScholar.html

4) Analyzea) ANALYZE - Use the note-taking format to explain how each of your answers relates to thefocus question.
F.Q. - What are the ten lenses of philosophical inquiry, and what are some examples of how they are connectedto the philosophies of different philosopher’s throughout history?
Questions
Answers
Relationship to the FQ
1. What are some examples of texts
written by the philosopher Hypatia

Historians are unsure if Hypatia wrote any texts on her own.
It appears as if she collaborated with her father to write many
books. However, because she was a woman, she might havewritten the book on her own, but she was not given credit for
it. The books were:•
A Commentary on the 13-Volume Arithmetica•
A Commentary on the Conics of Apollonius•
Book III of Theon’s version of Ptolemy’s Almagest•(edited) her father’s Commentary on Euclid’s Elements•
Astronomical Canon
In Book III of Theon’s version of Ptolemy’s Almagest Hypatia
presented a reasonable argument that the Earth is the centerof the Universe. She also wrote about developing a portable
astronomical calculator to help her think throughmathematical problems.
Source: Zielinski, S. (2010). Hypatia, ancient Alexandria’s
great female scholar. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved fromhttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/womenshistory/Hypatia-Ancient-Alexandrias-Great-FemaleScholar.html

The lens of philosophical inquiry that I am
focusing on in this inquiry is logic. Logic
is the branch of philosophy that examines
the methods of reasoning andargumentation. It is clear that Hypatia
wrote mathematical text, and math is alogical method of reasoning andargumentation. She also wrote aboutdeveloping a calculator, which shows how
she used mathematical methods to solve
problems. Hypatia’s philosophies onmathematical reasoning that she wrote
about in her texts explains how Hypatia isconnected to the logical lens ofphilosophical inquiry.

45) Communicate Conclusionsa) WRITE -Use the evidence and reasons that you gathered to write an organized (logicallysequenced) explanation to the inquiry’s topic/focus question. Make sure to address each of thefollowing prompts in your explanation:•
Who is your philosopher?
•
What did your philosopher philosophize about?
•
What is an excerpt from a primary source written by your author?
•
Provide the logic explaining the reasons why the philosopher’s primary source you selected isa good example of the philosophical inquiry lens you were assigned.
b) CREATE – Design and produce a visual representation of your work on a poster. Use theformat below. Use illustrations (printed or original drawings, charts, diagrams, etc.) to bringyour poster to life. Reference your sources on the back of your poster.
LENS
Essential Question:___________________________________________________________?

Copy the definition of the lens that you are focusing on.

Example Philosopher: Write an example sentence describing a) who your philosopher is, and b)
what they philosophized about.
Primary Source: Insert a primary source, or part of a primary source to illustrate the philosopher’s philosophy, and thelens of philosophical inquiry that they are most connected to (e.g. a written quote, an image, a song lyric, etc.).
Description and Logic: Provide the logic explaining the reasons why the philosopher’s primary source you selected isa good example of the philosophical inquiry lens you were assigned.

c) PRESENT & RECORD – Start by writing down each of the ten lenses of philosophical inquiry
in the back of your journal. Write them in alphabetical order and skip at least fifteen lines
between each term. Next, we will take turns presenting our terms and posters. Everyone in theclass will be responsible for writing the definition of each lens, the essential questions, and thephilosopher examples (names only) in their glossaries.
Special Note: We will be using our glossaries, and the ten lenses of philosophical inquiry
throughout the term. This implies that the work that we produce on this assignment is important;it will serve as a strong foundation for all of our future inquires and philosophical dialogues.

5Ten Lenses of Philosophical Inquiry Research Project Rubric
ORAL PRESENTATION:

YES

NO

Exceeds theStandard

Meets the Standard

Attempts to Meet theStandard

Does Not Meetthe Standard

QUESTIONS

I constructed more than fivephilosophical questions thatused the Good Thinker’s Tool
Kit (only one “W” question),
related to my interests, anddeepened my inquiry into thephilosophy and philosophicallens connected to thephilosopher that I am
inquiring about.

I constructed at less than fivephilosophical questions thatused the Good Thinker’s Tool
Kit, and that deepened myinquiry into the philosophy
and philosophical lensconnected to the philosopher
that I am inquiring about.

I constructed a few
questions to help me
understand thephilosophy andphilosophical lensconnected to thephilosopher that I am
inquiring about.

SOURCESI used more than two sources(at least one primary & one
secondary). I used multiple
types of sources (e.g. visual,quantitative, qualitative)
from different authors. It was
clear that the sources I usedconnected to the questions I
asked. I have a correct
bibliography for all sources.

I constructed at least fivephilosophical questions thatused the Good Thinker’s
Tool Kit (a few “W”
questions), related to myinterests, and deepened myinquiry into the philosophy
and philosophical lensconnected to thephilosopher that I am
inquiring about.
I used at least two sources(one primary & one
secondary). I used at least
two types of sources (e.g.
visual, quantitative,
qualitative). It was clear thatthe sources I used connectedto the questions I asked. I
have a correct bibliography
for all sources.

I did not use any
resources for research.
I do not have abibliography.

ANSWERS &RELATIONSHIP TO
THE FOCUSQUESTION

I used evidence frommultiple sources to constructanswers to my philosophicalquestions. I made sure thatthe claims in my answers
were fully developed,
addressed the questions, andwere accurate. I included
quotes and in-text referencesin my answers. I used reasonsand evidence to explain why
or why not the answers to myquestions related to the focusof my inquiry. I generated
more questions.

I used evidence frommultiple sources toconstruct answers to myquestions. I made sure thatthe claims in my answers
were fully developed,
addressed the questions,and were accurate. I usedreasons and evidence toexplain why or why not theanswers to my questions
related to the focus of myinquiry.

I used less than two sources(one primary & one
secondary). I stuck to one
type of source (e.g. visual,quantitative, qualitative)
from different authors. At
times it was unclear as towhether the sources I usedconnected to the questions I
asked. There are some errors
in my bibliography and I may
not have included all of mysources.
I used evidence from a few
sources to construct answers
to my questions. I didn’t
always make sure that theclaims in my answers were
fully developed, addressed
the questions, and were
accurate. I used reasons andevidence to explain why or
why not the (some of the)answers to my questions
related to the focus of myinquiry.

COMMUNICATINGCONCLUSIONS

I wrote an eloquent, accurate
and well-organized (logicallysequenced) description of myphilosopher and theirphilosophy. I included an
excerpt from a“quintessential” primary
document that was written
about or by my philosopher. I
provided the logic explaining
the reasons why the primarysource I selected is a good
example of the philosophicalinquiry lens that I was
assigned. I ended with morequestions
I found more than threevisual images that are
historically accurate andrelevant to my lens andphilosopher.

I wrote an accurate andwell- organized (logicallysequenced) description of
my philosopher and theirphilosophy. I included an
excerpt from a primary
document that was written
about or by my philosopher.
I provided the logic
explaining the reasons why
the primary source I
selected is a good exampleof the philosophical inquiry
lens that I was assigned.

I wrote a somewhat accurate
description of myphilosopher and theirphilosophy, but I had a bit oftrouble with myorganization. I included an
excerpt from a primary
document that was written
about or by my philosopher. I
provided some logic
explaining the reasons why
the primary source I selected
is an example of thephilosophical inquiry lensthat I was assigned.

I did notcommunicate myconclusions clearly.

I found at least three visual
images that are historicallyaccurate and relevant to mylens and philosopher.

I found at least two visual
images that are historicallyaccurate and relevant to mylens and philosopher.

I did not find visual
images.

CREATING,IMAGINING AND
INNOVATING

I answered a few of
my questions, but I
didn’t use evidence
from my sources tosupport my claims. It
seemed like I didn’tknow what myquestion was asking. I
did not make any
relationships between
the answers to myquestions and thefocus of my inquiry.

TOTAL SCORE

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