Philosophy for Children and Eastern Thought

Abstract

Introduction:  What is impressive about the children's novels published by the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) is that they situate student dialogue within the great traditions of Western philosophical thought.  One can discover the ideas of Plato, Descartes, Hume, and James, among others, echoing through the words of characters like Harry, Lisa, Mark, and Suki.  What I intend to suggest in this paper is that there are intimations of Eastern thought in these novels as well.  An awareness of this can enrich our perception of the layers of meaning embedded in the Philosophy for Children literature,