A Bit More on Generalizing Philosophy for Children

Abstract

Introduction:  Richard Morehouse has identified two crucial areas, central to the pedagogical core of Philosophy for Children (P4C).  These, he claims enable techniques associated with P4C to be generalized to other contexts.  After Lipman, he reminds us that the power of the P4C curriculum is found, first in the novels which are written to be "captivating and beguilding, designed to liberate the literary and illustrative powers of the children and to stimulate their thinking."  This philosophical 'liberation' is both enabled by and enables the child's insight into the individual (or themselves) as 'concrete wholes existing in relationships.'  The reading of the novels is the basis for the other major program component, the discussion that prompts the 'reflection on that experience,' 'the pulling of leading ideas from the narrative and the application of conceptual tools to the understanding of those ideas.'  The ideas that constitute the content of the P4C program are drawn from the philosophical texts and are applied to the text in the discussion.  These ideas include the 'basic tools of philosophy.'