Philosophy Goes To School

by Matthew Lipman

Examines the impact that elementary school philosophy has had upon the process of education. This sequel to Philosophy in the Classroom describes the contribution that training in philosophy can make in the teaching of values, and shows the applications of ethics in civics education.

250 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would have enjoyed this book considerably more had I read back when I initially picked it up at a used bookstore...when I was still yet to enter the education field but had taken a course in philosophy for children. I remain convinced that the types of philosophical discussions we had with children during that semester and those that are talked about here in Lipman's book, combined with intentional adult guidance, can result in some pretty powerful improvement of thinking and reasoning skills that would last a lifetime. At the same time, I know the reality of schools and the pressure of time and standards and high stakes testing and wonder how it would ever be possible to implement in practice. As someone now focused almost exclusively on math, I certainly couldn't justify taking time from the math block to have philosophical discussions, but at the same time, I can also see how a better understanding of logic and definitions and so on could certainly deepen mathematical understanding. Regardless of these realities, Lipman does a good job of laying out the arguments for including philosophy as an explicit subject, describing the ways in which it fits in with goals on all sides of the educational spectrum and making it clear that philosophy is really the only subject that can deliver. He also goes on to give some examples of what this might look and sound like, as well as an appendix of skills that would be entailed - so very much a comprehensive look at a topic I wish was something being talked about in the education world.

[Stuart Macalpine · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a rationale for teaching P4C than a deep dive into it, but pleasant reading nonetheless.