Book Review: Susan Gardner Reviews Stephen Kekoa Miller’s (ed.) Intentional Disruption: Expanding Access to Philosophy

Abstract

Introduction: As you read this book, which you should, you will be tempted to stand up and clap in celebration of the energy, dedication, and passion that these extraordinary people—the authors in this edited collection—infuse into their determination to bring the potential life-transforming influence of philosophy to the general public. While all signal an awareness of Philosophy for Children as it was first envisioned by Matthew Lipman, the route that these authors take is different. Though they all incorporate the “dialogical mode of learning” that is central to the Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CPI), the facilitators that most of these programs use are undergraduate and graduate philosophy students rather than school teachers. In so doing, they short circuit the worry of “inquiry failure” due to the lack of philosophical sensitivity on the part of non-philosophically trained teachers, and they reinvigorate the discipline itself, as these university students witness firsthand the benefits that accrue to those with whom they have the opportunity to philosophically engage.