Really thinking about philosophical questions with our children requires honesty, imagination, and a continuing openness to changing our minds. Children are already puzzling about philosophical questions; becoming involved lets them know how important these questions are to all of us.
Although some college courses might suggest otherwise, philosophy is not necessarily the study of obscure arguments, written in what seems like intentionally obtuse language. I like to think of philosophy as a way of being in the world. Of being critical and imaginative, seeing possibilities for exploration in the simplest things. Abraham Heschel suggested that philosophy is “the art of asking the right questions.” That appeals to me. When I talk with young people about philosophy, I talk a lot about questions. About how there are no stupid questions. About the ways in which questions are keys to understanding and awareness.
From “Philosophy and Learning at Home,” Jana Mohr Lone, in our Nov/Dec 199 issue. Read the entire article online, free.
Tags: Abraham Heschel, homeschooling and ideas, Jana Mohr Lone, philosophy and children, philosophy and homeschooling
