I was startled by the word "master" in the submission title, but it's in the original article title, so it's good to have that word here. I think that MASTERING

I was startled by the word "master" in the submission title, but it's in the original article title, so it's good to have that word here. I think that MASTERING philosophy is not easy, as my late dad, a chemistry major who also did extensive study of philosophy as he considered a career in researching the philosophy of science, never stopped reading about philosophy throughout his life. He quoted to me the saying from about a century ago that all Western philosophy is just footnotes to Plato, and yet the footnotes keep gaining more elaboration and nuance over time. I'm not sure that anyone really masters philosophy. My oldest son had three year-long courses in philosophy as the core courses in the Stanford University Online High School, http://ohs.stanford.edu/courses.html http://ohs.stanford.edu/courses.html and he is still thinking about philosophical issues as he pursues his career as a programmer in New York City's startup scene. That said, what has this curriculum requirement done for France? Is France dealing better with assimilating immigrants, or figuring out full employment for young people, or managing sustainable energy supplies, or doing any other kind of problem-solving in the real world better than other countries? If so, what? If not, why not? Does France indeed have a systematic educational advantage from its program of school philosophy courses, or is this just one more mandatory school requirement that many students blow off?