12 Best Gifts for Philosophy Teachers

Like for the rest of us, the day for most philosophy teachers starts with a nice cup of coffee. They seem to have professional deformation that shows up as an excess of analysis. And that’s not only when they are surrounded by people – it seems to start immediately after they wake up. It’s another morning ritual that accompanies the first cup of coffee. So, if we follow the logic, for the philosophy teacher there is no better way to start the day than with the “Freudian” cup of coffee. In the end, Freud is the father of psychoanalysis, right?

Some of the real-world values of this mug, which philosophers surely won’t care too much about, are that this mug is dishwasher and microwave safe.

While we are still at mugs and Nietzsche, here is the one that features one of Nietzsche’s greatest enemies. It’s Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Except for the name “Friedrich” and profession, these two guys didn’t have anything else in common.

Even if your philosophy teacher often thinks that nobody understands him or her, this mug will surely remind her or him of the days of studying. Hegel is one of the hardest to read and to understand in the whole history of philosophy.

The mug itself is made of stainless steel and thus not microwave safe. Officially it’s not even dishwasher safe, although the manufacturer claims you can wash it in the dishwasher. One thing is for sure – it will keep your philosophy teacher’s drink cold or hot while they travel, observing the landscape and thinking about what Hegel would say about it.

Here is another important philosopher related to both – Nietzsche and Hegel. He was also one of the biggest Nietzsche’s enemies (yeah, Nietzsche had a lot of enemies), but on the other side, Hegel was in a, let’s say friendly mood toward him. It’s Immanuel Kant, the founder of German idealism, a philosophical movement from the end of the 18th century that made a huge impact on the whole history of philosophy. The most important philosophers among German idealists are actually Kant and Hegel.

Besides being a joke, this mug also has a deeper meaning, but don’t ask the philosophy teacher to explain it to you. It might take them a whole eternity, but what is an eternity for one philosophy teacher!

Imagine it – we’re still at cups! Philosophy teachers would say we haven’t moved too much from the beginnings, anyway! There is some change, though. If your teacher prefers tea over coffee, then this porcelain teacup featuring 60 Western philosophers will be his or her cup of tea. Don’t get confused with the word “Western”, although your philosophy teacher might get it. Between us, there is a serious discussion that lasts for decades regarding Eastern philosophy. Some philosophy teachers will claim its existence, but the other group will persistently deny it. The West has a philosophy, the East has wisdom, they would say.

Now you can buy this T-shirt only for a philosophy teacher if he or she is your really good friend, or if your philosophy teacher has a really good sense of humor or high tolerance threshold. Otherwise, don’t. I mean it.

No matter how much they are disappointed in the people, society, even the universe, philosophy teachers still have faith in philosophy. It’s their last hope, and as we all know hope dies last.

Now, this is the T-shirt you want to buy for your philosophy teacher. But be careful – only if the philosophy teacher is female. We don’t mean that male philosophy teachers wouldn’t like it – but this one is designed for women.

So, while they are drinking their favorite warm drink, whether it’s coffee or tea, getting ready for another day in school; meditating on their favorite topics, like “Why is that so?”, this shirt will make them feel comfortable.

And there is a message, right on the shirt. There is nothing to seek for. It’s just one clear statement – I love philosophy.

While we are still at T-shirts, this one looks like something you can’t go wrong with. Between two extremes like “I love / hate philosophy”, this one comes featuring Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These guys are three bedrocks of ancient Greek philosophy but also foundations of whole Western philosophy, even culture, and civilization. When you picture them wearing these chill-out sunglasses, you get the whole message every philosophy teacher wants to send – I’m cool and smart and I know it.

OK, we’re done with the T-shirts, but we’re not done with Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three guys, like the sculpture says, the fathers of philosophy left deep traces in human history that a deeper understanding of any phenomenon in this world is unimaginable without getting back to them. Even today. That’s why every philosophy teacher will proudly keep this nice sculpture on its worktable or bookshelf. Also, the sculpture is handmade in Greece. Yeah, it’s made out of stone, in Greece, the place where all this philosophy stuff started. Every philosophy teacher will know to appreciate it right away.

Even if even philosophy teachers use computers and smartphones today, the old good pens are still on the price. Same as philosophy. On the other side, even if it wasn’t so, philosophy teachers are lovers of classics. So, if you want to buy a nice and modest gift for your philosophy teacher, you can’t go wrong if you buy this Aristotle-inspired pen. It’s elegant, yet refillable and reusable – simply, perfect.