Çocuklukta ve Çocukça Felsefe Yapmak

Abstract

The question, “why and how should we educate children?” confronts us as an ancient question which we want to have answers for it. Throughout the history, many attempts have been made to answer this question, especially by scholars in the fields of philosophy and psychology. For example, Plato states that raising children “good” will affect society’s, state’s good, and therefore he makes philosophical assessments on how we should educate children. Even if we find Plato’s explanations utopic and don’t agree with them, still the motivation which directs him, such as love, survives and guides us today. So, the motivation which directs Plato and the quest for an answer to the question we are talking about, still exist. This quest is also valid for M. Lipman who lead the newly developing “philosophy for children” project and for W. Kohan, who follows M. Lipman on a very different line. These two philosophers try to construct a new relation between children and philosophy. According to M. Lipman, children’s early encounter with philosophy is vital for “good thinking and inference” that determine our life. The lives of children thinking good affect directly themselves, their environment and the society they live in. What Lipman understands from good thinking is that it is nurturing, enriching, and preserving thinking in an interrelated, critical, creative, caring relation. Lipman believes that we should be curious, critical, sensitive, integral, innovative, astonishing, respectful, loving, friendly, empathetic individuals with these thoughts. A philosophical education that will take place in the early education of children, will add unique contributions to this process. However, this education of philosophy, as we see in high schools and universities, does not make progress, that is to say, in a way to convey the views and ideas of certain philosophers; it is not possible to give such education at a very early age anyway. This process will be carried out with appropriate philosophical novels for children; because with such fictional novels, it can be possible to reach children who are interested in stories, narratives at a very early age. In addition, novels may be effective in the emotional and rational development of children. This development is important; because Lipman believes that we need to improve our ability to connect theory and practice, knowing and doing, and which we can demonstrate moral knowledge in practice. In other words, philosophy education for children which involved moral education, aims not only thinking, thought, certain abstract rules and knowledge, but also aims cultivating the feelings and emotions which support children’s individual well-being and communal well-being. In a sense, it tries to make desires more rational, and reason more emotional; does not think that desires are the forces have to be tamed and reformedby putting them against reason. Kohan, like Lipman, believes that early philosophical education is very important for children. However, he believes that we should respect childhood and protect the virtues of childish thought. He says that childhood is not a period which has been forgotten and left behind with adulthood, on the contrary, it has a power to determine our life, our language, moral, and society. As a result, these philosophers point that we can do philosophy in childhood, we can continue to think childishly and philosophize.