What is P4wC?

What is P4wC?

Philosophy for/with Children, or P4wC, is one of the few, if not the only progressive pedagogical approach that takes seriously the connection between children, childhood, and philosophy.[1] Its fundamental assumption is that children have the natural ability to think philosophically.[2] As newcomers to the world, they are naturally disposed to wonder – a fundamental disposition in philosophizing. The earliest proponent of Philosophy of Childhood, Gareth Matthews, emphasizes that the philosophical comments and questions of children “have a freshness and inventiveness that is hard for even the most imaginative adult to match.”[3] Their intuitive logic, unrestrained yet by rules and formal categories, allows them to offer unique perspectives that, according to Lone, help us to “think about philosophical questions – about justice, ethics, friendship, etc., – in new and fresh ways.”[4]

P4wC operationalizes philosophy as an inquiry-based dialogue in which anyone, regardless of age or academic background can participate, thereby challenging the prevalent notion that philosophy is only suitable for adults with philosophical training. By emphasizing the practice of philosophy over the study of philosophy, anyone, including children is empowered to explore philosophically perplexing questions. Its primary methodology, the Community of Inquiry (or COI), is an intellectually and emotionally safe space where children can freely inquire about questions arising from their various contexts and experiences. 

Works cited:

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[1] C.f. David Kennedy and Walter Omar Kohan, “Childhood, education and philosophy: a matter of time,” in The Routledge International Handbook of Philosophy for Children, eds. Maughn Rollins Gregory, Joanna Haynes and Karin Murris (New York, Routledge, 2017), 46-52.

[2] C.f. Lipman, Matthew, Philosophy Goes to School (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988).

[3] Gareth Matthews, Philosophy of Childhood (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994), 17.

[4] Jana Mohr Lone, “Philosophical Thinking in Childhood,” in The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Childhood and Children, eds. Anca Gheaus, Gideon Calder and Jurgen de Wispelaere (New York: Routledge, 2019), 62.