Growing Up with Philosophy

• Main Authors: Lipman, Matthew, Ed, Sharp, Margaret, Ed
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Temple University Press, Broad and Oxford Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1978
• Subjects: Aesthetic Education; Child Development; Children; Cognitive Processes; Educational Objectives; Elementary Education; Elementary School Curriculum; Humanistic Education; Learning Experience; Learning Motivation; Learning Processes; Moral Development; Philosophy; Teacher Role

Designed for the growing field of philosophy and children, this sourcebook is concerned with motivating children to think in ways that will increase the meaningfulness of their lives and, as a consequence, help them see the importance of their own education. The approach entails a reappraisal of the entirety of philosophical literature in search of those parts most useful in teaching philosophical thinking to children, and it is recognized that there is a philosophy for children as well as by children. The thirty one essays are organized in topical sections and provide a foundation for building new learning experiences through philosophy. The first group is an historical selection of works by major philosophers. The relationship between developmental theories and philosophy for children is the theme of the next section, and it is followed by sections on children and moral philosophy, children and aesthetics, and children and ethics. A final section on the role of the teacher in the philosophical education of the child rounds out the anthology. Aspects of philosophical tradition, it is emphasized, must be processed so as to construct a sequential curriculum that would be the basis for exposing children to philosophy. The articles, together with the editor's introductions and the bibliography, attempt to define the state of this relatively new field as well as provide ideas for its advancement. (DS)