Philosophy for Kids

40 Fun Questions That Help You Wonder About Everything!

David A. White

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000495171
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Inspire animated discussions of questions that concern kids—and all of us—with this innovative, interactive book. Open your students' minds to the wonders of philosophy.Allow them to grapple with the questions philosophers have discussed since the ancient Greeks. Questions include: "Who are your friends?, " "Can computers think?, " "Can something logical not make sense?, " and "Can you think about nothing?" Young minds will find these questions to be both entertaining and informative. If you have ever wondered about questions like these, you are well on your way to becoming a philosopher! Philosophy for Kids offers young people the opportunity to become acquainted with the wonders of philosophy. Packed with exciting activities arranged around the topics of values, knowledge, reality, and critical thinking, this book can be used individually or by the whole class. Each activity allows kids to increase their understanding of philosophical concepts and issues and enjoy themselves at the same time.In addition to learning about a challenging subject, students philosophizing in a classroom setting, as well as the casual reader of Philosophy for Kids, will sharpen their ability to think critically about these and similar questions. Experiencing the enjoyment of philosophical thought enhances a young person's appreciation for the importance of reasoning throughout the traditional curriculum of subjects.The book includes activities, teaching tips, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for further reading.Grades 4-12

PART I
Values

DOI: 10.4324/9781003237150-2

What do you think is important? Having fun? Making friends? Getting good grades in school? Learning about things? Being successful? Getting rich? Becoming famous? Helping others? Doing the right thing?

Your values are whatever interests you and whatever you think is important. The subject of values has concerned philosophers since philosophy began. As a result, philosophers have spent much time and effort describing values and explaining why they are important in our lives. The name of this branch of philosophy is Ethics.

In Part I, you will be able to find out something about your own values. You will be invited to think about exactly what some values are—friendship, for example—because we may not always know what we believe we know about values. Some values are shared by almost everyone. However, people often disagree about the meaning and importance of other values. What are your values and why do you think they are important?

“If we had hinges on our heads There wouldn’t be no sin. ‘Cause we could take the bad stuff out And leave the good stuff in.”

Shel Silverstein, poet and composer

Question #1—Plato
Are you a fair and just person?

DOI: 10.4324/9781003237150-3

• “Please give it back to me.”
• “Why?
• “Because you borrowed it and it’s mine.”

Have you ever been in this kind of situation? Imagine that you have borrowed a calculator from a friend. Now the friend wants you to return it. What is the just thing for you to do?

1. Read the four alternatives below, think about the situation, then write the letter representing your answer in the space provided:
   1. Try to convince your friend that you still need it.
   2. Keep it as long as you can; after all, you need a calculator.
   3. Return it—the calculator is your friend’s, not yours.
   4. You can always make another friend; keep the calculator.
   Write your answer here: ________

Remember, the question is “What is the just thing to do?”—not “What do I feel like doing in this situation?” If you chose A or B, then it seems that you think your own interests are more important than respecting your friend’s interests or property. If you chose D, you value things more than friendship—or, at least, you value this thing more than keeping this friend.

Most people would choose C. The reason why is stated in C: The calculator is not yours. Therefore, even if you want to keep it for some reason, you ought to return it if the calculator—or anything you borrow—belongs to another person.

What does this example tell us about justice? In fact, just what is justice? This question is almost as old as philosophy itself. Philosophers have been asking this question since the time of Plato, the famous Greek philosopher who lived from 427 to 347 B.C. However, the above example, which is taken from Book I of Plato’s dialogue, the Republic, suggests that justice can be easily defined: It is treating other people fairly. In short, to be just is to be fair; so, whatever is borrowed should always be returned since that is what is fair in this case.

Is this a good definition? Let’s change the example in a few ways (as Plato has Socrates do in the Republic). Imagine that an adult in your family borrows a weapon from a friend, and between the time that the weapon is borrowed and the time the friend wants it returned, the friend becomes mentally unstable. Now, according to the original definition, it would be just to return what has been borrowed—in this case, to return the weapon—since the definition says that whatever is borrowed should always be returned.

But, what do you think would be the just thing to do in this case?

• II. Here are four alternatives. Place the letter for your answer in the space provided below:
  • E. Keep the weapon; the friend is unstable, and what the friend will do with the weapon once it is returned is unknown.
  • F. Return the weapon; after all, it’s the friend’s property.
  • G. Talk to a philosopher and ask for the true definition of justice. Once you know this definition, then you will know what should be done.
  • H. Try to get professional help for the friend.
  Answer here: _______

Let’s briefly look at the answers:

1. Answer (H) suggests that the friend is important. Although this attitude is good, it does not really help answer the question about the just thing to do in this instance. (Are you sure you know what it means to be a friend? See Question #2.)
2. Answer (F) shows that you understand the original definition of justice and that you want to apply that definition. But, would it truly be just to return a weapon to someone if that individual were insane?
3. Answer (E) eliminates the harmful consequences that might occur if an insane person had a weapon. However, to keep the weapon when it belongs to another person violates our definition of justice. Can a person act unjustly in order to do something good? Somehow this does not sound correct.

Did you select answer G? If you did, then one philosopher you could talk to is Socrates, Plato’s teacher and the principal character in most of Plato’s dialogues. The Republic analyzes the meaning of justice—but it is a lengthy attempt, about 300 pages! So, it seems safe to say that, whatever justice is, it will not be easily understood and described. Still, we can make a start in the direction that Plato thinks we should be heading.

“I think the first duty of society is justice.”

Alexander Hamilton, statesman

For Further Thought

1. Should you be just to your enemies as well as to your friends?
2. Can you be unjust to yourself?
3. If the answer to 2 is yes, then can you also be just to yourself?

Plato thought that true justice begins in ourselves and that it is important to know ourselves as well as possible so that we can be just to ourselves whenever we speak, act, or make a choice. If we do know ourselves by thinking about who we are and what we want and how we hope to spend our lives, then it should be possible, eventually, to discover at least something about the nature of justice.

Keep this conclusion in mind as you do other questions in this book. When you ask yourself a question, especially a philosophical question, and then try to answer it, you are learning more about yourself. And, if Plato is right, you are also learning more about justice.

Of course, you are also being a philosopher.

Question #2—Aristotle
How do you know who your friends are?

DOI: 10.4324/9781003237150-4

The following statements may sound familiar:

• “She’s a friend of mine.”
• “Oh, he’s my best friend!”
• “You’re not my friend anymore!”

We all have friends—or at least almost all of us do. It seems safe to say that a person who had no friends would not only be lonely, but also not very happy. Having friends seems to be an important part of being human, and it is also essential to leading a happy life. But, can we always tell who our friends are? To answer this question as a philosopher would, it is necessary to define the concept of friendship.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) thought this was a very important question. In the Nicomachean Ethics (named after Nicomacheas, one of Aristotle’s sons), Aristotle spent much time and energy thinking about friendship. Let’s see whether you agree with the way Aristotle defines friendship and with the types of friendship he describes.

The following are three descriptions of relationships between two people. In the space after each description, write “agree” or “disagree” to indicate whether you think the example is a type of friendship—“agree” if you think it is, “disagree” if you think it is not.

1. If John and Jim help each other with homework on a regula...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I—Values
• Part II—Knowledge
• Part III—Reality
• Part IV—Critical Thinking
• How to Philosophize if You Are Not a Philosopher
• Additional Reading in Philosophy
• Glossary
• Index
• About the Author