Philosophy and the Young Child

By: Gareth B. Matthews

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Synopsis: This book presents striking evidence that young children naturally engage in a brand of thought that is genuinely philosophical. In a series of exquisite examples that could only have been gathered by a professional philosopher with an extraordinary respect for young minds, the author demonstrates that children have a capacity for puzzlement and mental play that leads them to tackle many of the classic problems of knowledge, value, and existence that have traditionally formed the core of philosophical thought. His anecdotes reveal children reasoning about these problems in a way that must be taken seriously by anyone who wants to understand how children think. The book provides a powerful antidote to the widespread tendency to underestimate children’s mental ability and patronize their natural curiosity. The author believes that adults have much to gain if they can learn to “do philosophy” with children, and his book is a rich source of useful suggestions for parents, teachers, students, and anyone else who might like to try.