The Philosophy of Childhood

By Gareth B. Matthews

Book Overview

So many questions, such an imagination, endless speculation: the child seems to be a natural philosopher - until the ripe old age of eight or nine, when the spirit of inquiry mysteriously fades. What happened? Was it something we did - or didn't do? Was the child truly the philosophical being he once seemed? Gareth Matthews takes up these concerns in The Philosophy of Childhood, an account of children's philosophical potential and of childhood as an area of philosophical inquiry. Seeking a philosophy that represents the range and depth of children's inquisitive minds, Matthews explores both how children think and how we, as adults, think about them.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674664809
• ISBN13: 9780674664807
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

children deserve respect

I loved this inspiring book about the true character and intelligence of children, largely unnoticed and under appreciated because of adult misconceptions (reinforced by flawed scientific studies by Piaget, Kohlberg, etc., as this book demonstrates). Chapter 8, Childhood and Death, will be especially interesting to parents of children with terminal leukemia, as we were because of our Jonnie, but this is not a book about death. It is about the ability children have to come to terms with all of life and it's mysteries in fresh and creative ways beyond the abilities of adults. We truly need to learn to respectfully listen to our children, to give our time to watching them and learning from them rather than always trying to teach them. We can't afford to miss their valuable childhood wisdom and insight or to underestimate their contribution to a richer, more complete philosophy of life. Besides, you cannot truly love a child unless you can also respect him. Another inspiring book is How Children Learn by John Holt.