It is one of the oldest academic disciplines, but traditionally it has not been considered a subject for children. Yet, in many ways, young people are natural philosophers.
Philosophical inquiry helps students to develop strong critical and creative thinking skills .
Philosophy emphasizes excellence in thinking by posing questions about the basic concepts that make up our understanding of the world, and students engage in philosophy by inquiring about the meanings of these concepts. They read texts that raise philosophical issues, and the issues that are most interesting to them are discussed in structured classroom dialogues. These discussions do not involve talking to students about what philosophers have said, but inquiring with them in open-ended and thoughtful dialogues about philosophical ideas. As part of the work of exploring these ideas, we ask questions, suggest imaginative and new ways of approaching philosophical problems, read stories, draw pictures, role-play, create poetry, and engage in other forms of creative expression. Young people find these dialogues compelling, in part because there are no settled answers to the questions being examined.