Letting kids ask the big questions

Presenting philosophy to children or incorporating the subject in a school syllabus is recommended, and not as hard as one might expect.

Peter Worley. Photo by Geoffrey Swaine/REX

Peter Worley, an author and educator from South London, is best known for his book The If Machine: Philosophical Enquiry in the Classroom. Worley is also the chief executive of the Philosophy Foundation, a UK educational charity

Why is it important to teach philosophy to children?

Because philosophy is dedicated to thinking and thinking well, there’s a strong argument for saying that it’s something we should do with all ages. If you try philosophy with one child it’s difficult but if you try it with 30 children, it’s very easy because they ask the questions to keep it moving forward.

Can children do philosophy?

Children can reason, they can reflect and they can revaluate their opinions and thoughts. They also can think about ethics, value and knowledge. Children, as long as they are five or six, can talk about very abstract concepts such as what is space, or what is infinity.

How can philosophy be presented to children?

We engage the children by presenting a problem that they have to recognise themselves. What we do is we go in and we tell stories. We present a problem that allows the children to then talk about it. For instance, I might write four 2s on the board and I simply ask them how many numbers are there? Children are naturally inclined to try and find other answers to what people have said. As the children talk about it they start to notice that there are some tensions and controversies in the room.

How can philosophy be incorporated into a school syllabus?

It falls into every class. We have questions that tie in with just about every subject. We’re not there to go in and teach them about philosophers. We’re there to get them doing philosophy.

However, occasionally children say things that resemble philosophers. One child said, “If I’m conscious, I’m alive”. This starts to sound similar to Descartes’ I think therefore I am. At that point I might introduce them to the philosopher.

We identify an idea that a child has had with a specific philosophy so it connects them with a community of philosophers that stretches back. We always ask them to critically engage with the philosopher. They’re not there to agree with the philosopher as some sort of figure of authority.

• Peter Worley will speak on Saturday at Signatures at 5.30pm