Philosophy for Children
Philosophy, the “love of wisdom,” begins with wonder about the world.
Suzie Fitzhugh
The word “philosophy” comes from the Greek, meaning “love of wisdom.” In ancient times philosophy was understood as the search for wisdom. Many of the concepts philosophers explore have been examined for thousands of years: What is time? What is beauty? What is a good life? What is knowledge?
Why introduce philosophy to children
Young people are natural philosophers. They do not need to learn philosophy; it is something they do. They start asking philosophical questions early in life. Why should I be fair? What makes someone a friend? Why I am alive? Are stories real? Children are always wondering about the world in which we live and the meaning of human life.
Philosophy for children is based on the Socratic notion that everything is open to question. It is a wonderful way of bringing teachers and children together to discuss things that matter. A philosophical community of enquiry provides a forum where adults and children can search for meaning together. It has many benefits for both groups.
Through P4C we want children to
- respect the views of others
- make clear sense of their own views and ideas
- challenge and build on each other’s ideas and thinking
- listen with respect and be able to dialogue
- enhance their emotional awareness
- become independent, reasonable, collaborative learners
- feel safe confronting the unclear and problematic
- understand that to some questions there are no definitive answers
- enhance imagination and reasoning in order to explore values, assumptions and concepts like justice, truth, knowledge and beauty.
Philosophy explores fundamental questions about the world and ourselves, and is therefore not restricted to any particular subject matter. What characterizes a philosophical question is not what it is about, but at what level it is asked.
