Philosophy for Children in Developing Countries: The Philippine Experience

Abstract

Introduction:  In this paper I will explore three major issues that confront the implementation of Philosophy for Children in a developing country, using a recent project that I helped initiate in the Philippines as indicative of the importance of these issues.  The three issues are: (1)  modification of the curriculum materials to meet cultural conditions (in particular, I shall focus on the choice of language for the materials and instruction); (2) differences in pedagogical methods, teacher expectations and classroom dynamics; and (3) the affect of nationalism on attitudes towards educational curricula "imported" from the developed world.  This third issue is of profound philosophical importance, because it suggests the need to defend the Philosophy for Children program in light of charges that they threaten the cultural integrity of the host culture.