Philosophy in schools.

9780826497277

Philosophy in schools.

Ed. by Michael Hand and Carrie Winstanley.

Continuum Publishing Group

2008

167 pages

$140.00

Hardcover

Continuum studies in research in education

LB1590

Once a staple in American education, the teaching of philosophy has declined significantly. These 12 essays advocate its return, thoroughly disproving the myth that the subject is too difficult for children. Contributors prove that abstract thought is available to children, that philosophy is a necessary part of moral education, that we need to get beyond the "deficit conception" of childhood, and that understanding of the tenets of both philosophy and religion key to understanding culture. They build their case by declaring that philosophical teaching, including epistemology and critical thinking, is necessary in appraisals of controversial issues, that philosophical thinking is at the core of the development of cognition, that philosophy already exists in children's literature, that Dewey himself supported philosophical teaching in secondary schools, and that teaching from the great books sets students on the road to wisdom.

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