Hi aaaa,

Please forgive my gentle jibe in the subject line. On a serious note however, "Pluto" as represented by either the Disney character, or the Roman god of the underworld, does present a philosophy, albeit not necessarily in the academic sense of the word.

As the Roman incarnation of the Greek god Hades, Pluto is the master of the underworld. Interestingly, his name means "wealth". Here is a snipet I gleaned from a quick Google search:

"Roman name of the god Hades, ruler of the Underworld. The word pluto means "wealth" in Latin and Greek, which was considered appropriate either because precious minerals come from beneath the surface of the earth or because Pluto was rich in dead souls."

Here is a little more about the Greek version, Hades.

"Hades was the ruler of the Greek Underworld (which itself is sometimes confusingly referred to as "Hades" also). In mythology, he was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and therefore from the first generation of Olympian gods. And the manner in which Hades became the lord of the shadowy Underworld is worth mentioning.

According to the myth, the three sons of Kronos and Rhea - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades - each drew lots to determine which part of the world they would rule. Zeus and Poseidon received the sky and the seas respectively, and Hades was therefore left with the Underworld.

Since Hades was the ruler of the Underworld, it makes sense to note one of the key features of this region - its myriad rivers. These rivers each had names and symbolic meanings:

Acheron | river of sadness

Cocytus | river of lamentation

Lethe | river of forgetfulness

Phlegethon | river of fire

Styx | river of hate "

Disney's "Pluto" on the other hand, is Mickey Mouse's dog. Disney's philosophy seems to represent, at least to legions of parents world wide, "good clean fun" e.g. NO SEX.

The problem with putting philosophy, either Plato's or Pluto's, in the classroom, is that by doing so, we would seem to be telling kids what to think, as opposed to teaching them how to think critically. Not that most schools don't do that anyway, but...

28 Just my opinion