by Dr. Özge Özdemir
In education, the course of philosophy is often described as either unnecessary or an indispensable task. The main reason for this is our tendency to disparage or glorify that we cannot connect. To connect is about to understand what something is. For this, it is necessary to spend time and effort as well as paying attention and care to that thing. The first question is whether we can connect with philosophy. Until today, educators have made various attempts to connect both themselves and children with philosophy. In order to teach philosophical thinking, traditional philosophy, logic, informal logic, rhetoric courses were placed in the curricula of schools. However, although the content of these lessons is appropriate, we have not been successful in teaching philosophical thinking because of the traditional teaching methods that we used. Therefore, we need to think about the method as much as the content, develop the method, apply the method and evaluate the results of the method. Philosophy for Children and Communities (P4C), my area of expertise, offers us a new method by bringing philosophy to the field of educational sciences. It promises that doing philosophy together will invite us to think and dialogue, so that we will not only connect with philosophy, but also think for ourselves, others, and world through philosophy. The second question is why we should philosophize together within the inquiring community. Are there no other methods that improve critical thinking and dialogue? Of course, there is. But what makes philosophy different is that it supports not just critical thinking that develops our problem-solving and decision-making skills, but critical thinking that includes wisdom. In other words, philosophy seeks good judgments, not just good solutions and good decisions. The purpose of this talk is to explain the method of Philosophy for Children and Communities as well as to explain what good judgment is and why we need it.