What if everyone learnt philosophy?

Mr. Shorris, who died in May, rejected the notion that the poor should focus on learning practical skills to prepare for mostly low-paying jobs. He believed that studying the humanities would teach them how to reflect on the world, putting them on more equal footing with the privileged class.

The course is taught by local college professors at the Care Center, which provides transportation and child care. It is held two days a week and is open to low-income women of all ages as well as Care Center regulars like Ms. Rivera. Those who complete the course will earn six credits from Bard College, which oversees the program nationally. This year’s students, from age 18 to 58, included homeless women, victims of domestic violence, recovering addicts and others for whom day-to-day existence is often excruciating.

“There’s a way in which the course asks people to examine their life and what they are seeing around them more deeply,” said Anne Teschner, the Care Center’s executive director. “Living in poverty can be very constricting, so to bring those more expansive ideas into the world of people struggling economically is really empowering.”

From “Taking the High Road” in The New York Times via Standing in the Shadows.