A Sneetch is a Sneetch and Other Philosophical Discoveries

A Sneetch is a Sneetch and Other Philosophical Discoveries
Author: Thomas E. Wartenberg
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2013-02-28
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1118545060

Taking Picture Books Seriously: What can we learn about philosophy through children's books? This warm and charming volume casts a spell on adult readers as it unveils the surprisingly profound philosophical wisdom contained in children's picture books, from Dr Seuss's Sneetches to William Steig's Shrek!. With a light touch and good humor, Wartenberg discusses the philosophical ideas in these classic stories, and provides parents with a practical starting point for discussing philosophical issues with their children. Accessible and multi-layered, it answers questions like, Is it okay for adults to deceive kids? What's the difference between saying the Mona Lisa is a great painting and vanilla is your favorite flavor? Each chapter includes illustrations commissioned especially for this book.

Big Ideas for Little Kids

Big Ideas for Little Kids
Author: Thomas E. Wartenberg
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2014-05-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1475804466

Big Ideas for Little Kids includes everything a teacher, a parent, or a college student needs to teach philosophy to elementary school children from picture books. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book explains why it is important to allow young children access to philosophy during primary-school education. Wartenberg also gives advice on how to construct a "learner-centered" classroom, in which children discuss philosophical issues with one another as they respond to open-ended questions by saying whether they agree or disagree with what others have said.

Thinking Through Stories

Thinking Through Stories
Author: Thomas E. Wartenberg
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2022-02-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000544729

This book provides justification and instruction for exploring philosophy with children, especially by using picture books to initiate philosophical discussion. By demonstrating to teachers, and others that picture books often embed philosophical issues into their narratives, and that this makes picture books a natural place to go to help young children investigate philosophical issues, the author offers a straightforward approach to engaging young students. In particular, this volume highlights how philosophical dialogue enhances children’s sense of self, provides a safe space for the discussion of issues that they are confronted with in living their lives, and develops an admirable method for resolving conflict that the children can use in other contexts.

Philosophy in Classrooms and Beyond

Philosophy in Classrooms and Beyond
Author: Thomas E. Wartenberg
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2019-04-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 147584459X

The contributors to this volume describe a range of programs that use picture books to teach philosophy to diverse audiences. From a pre-school program in which college students to do the teaching to a program focused on overcoming the legacy of violence and genocide in Mali in which the teachers write and illustrate their own picture books, the authors demonstrate the impact that learning philosophy has on diverse communities of young students and their teachers.

Literature's Children

Literature's Children
Author: Louise Joy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2019-02-21
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1472577205

Literature's Children offers a new way of thinking about how literature for children functions didactically. It analyzes the nature of the practical critical activity which the child reader carries out, emphasizing what the child does to the text rather than what he or she receives from it. Through close readings of a range of works for children which have shaped our understanding of what children's literature entails, including works by Isaac Watts, John Newbery, Kate Greenaway, E. Nesbit, Kenneth Grahame, J.R.R. Tolkien and Malcolm Saville, it demonstrates how the critical child resists the processes of idealization in operation in and through such texts. Bringing into dialogue ideas from literary theory and the philosophy of education, drawing in particular on the work of the philosopher John Dewey, it provides a compelling new account of the complex relations between literary aesthetics and literary didacticism.

Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Nasty, Brutish, and Short
Author: Scott Hershovitz
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2023-05-02
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1984881833

A fast-paced and funny investigation of life’s biggest questions, guided by the world’s most clever and creative thinkers—kids. Some of the best philosophers in the world gather in surprising places— preschools and playgrounds. They debate questions about metaphysics and morality, even though they’ve never heard those words and can’t tie their shoes. They’re kids. And as University of Michigan professor of philosophy and law Scott Hershovitz shows, they can help grown-ups solve some of life’s greatest mysteries. Hershovitz has two young sons, Rex and Hank. From the time they could talk, he noticed that they raised philosophical questions and tried to answer them. They re-created ancient arguments and advanced entirely new ones. That’s not unusual, Hershovitz says. Every kid is a philosopher. Powered by questions like: Does Hank have the right to drink soda? Is it ever okay to swear? and, Does the number six exist? the Hershovitzes take us on a fun romp through classic and contemporary philosophy. If we join kids on philosophical adventures, Hershovitz argues, we can become sharper thinkers and recapture their wonder at the world. “This is the only parenting book I would insist everyone read, whether they have kids or not.” —Merve Emre, author of The Personality Brokers and contributing writer at The New Yorker

Philosophy in Education

Philosophy in Education
Author: Jana Mohr Lone
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2016-02-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1442234792

Philosophy in Education: Questioning and Dialog in K-12 Classrooms is a textbook in the fields of pre-college philosophy and philosophy of education, intended for philosophers and philosophy students, K-12 classroom teachers, administrators and educators, policymakers, and pre-college practitioners of all kinds. The book offers a wealth of practical resources for use in elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms, as well as consideration of many of the broader educational, social, and political topics in the field, including the educational value of pre-college philosophy, the philosophies of education that inform this philosophical practice, and the relevance of pre-college philosophy for pressing issues in contemporary education (such as education reform, child development, and prejudice and privilege in classrooms). The book includes sections on: the expansion of philosophy beyond higher education to pre-college populations; the importance of wondering, questioning and reflection in K-12 education; the ways that philosophy is uniquely suited to help students cultivate critical reasoning and independent thinking capacities; how to develop classroom communities of philosophical inquiry and their potentially transformative impact on students; the cultivation of philosophical sensitivity and positive identity formation in childhood; strategies for recognizing and diminishing the impact of social inequalities in classrooms; and the relationship between introducing philosophy in schools and education reform.

The Thought of Stanley Cavell and Cinema

The Thought of Stanley Cavell and Cinema
Author: David LaRocca
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2020-01-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 150134918X

Stanley Cavell was, by many accounts, America's greatest philosophical thinker of film. Like Bazin in France and Perkins in England, Cavell did not just transform the American capacity to take film as a subject for philosophical criticism; he had to first invent that legitimacy. Part of that effort involved the creation of several key now-canonical texts in film studies, among them the seminal The World Viewed along with Pursuits of Happiness and Contesting Tears. The present collection offers, for the first time anywhere, a concerted effort mounted by some of today's most compelling writers on film to take careful account of Cavell's legacy. The contributors think anew about what precisely Cavell contributed, what holds up, what is in need to revision or updating, and how his writing continues to be of vital significance and relevance for any contemporary approach to the philosophy of film.

A Companion to Public Philosophy

A Companion to Public Philosophy
Author: Lee McIntyre
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2022-03-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1119635241

The first anthology devoted to the theory and practice of all forms of public philosophy A Companion to Public Philosophy brings together in a single volume the diverse practices, modalities, and perspectives of this rapidly growing field. Forty-two chapters written by established practitioners and newer voices alike consider questions ranging from the definition of public philosophy to the value of public philosophy to both society and philosophy itself. Throughout the book, philosophers offer insights into the different publics they have engaged, the topics they have explored, the methods they have used and the lessons they have learned from these engagements. The Companion explores important philosophical issues concerning the practice of philosophy in the public sphere, how public philosophy relates to advocacy, philosophical collaborations with political activists, locations where public philosophy can be done, and more. Many essays highlight underserved topics such as effective altruism, fat activism, trans activism, indigenous traditions, and Africana philosophy, while other essays set the stage for rigorous debates about the boundaries of public philosophy and its value as a legitimate way to do philosophy. Discusses the range of approaches that professional philosophers can use to engage with non-academic audiences Explores the history and impact of public philosophy from the time of Socrates to the modern era Highlights the work of public philosophers concerning issues of equity, social justice, environmentalism, and medical ethics Covers the modalities used by contemporary public philosophers, including film and television, podcasting, internet memes, and community-engaged teaching Includes essays by those who bring philosophy to corporations, government policy, consulting, American prisons, and activist groups across the political spectrum A Companion to Public Philosophy is essential reading for philosophers from all walks of life who are invested in and curious about the ways that philosophy can impact the public and how the public can impact philosophy. It is also an excellent text for undergraduate and graduate courses on the theory and practice of public philosophy as well as broader courses on philosophy, normative ethics, and comparative and world philosophy.

The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics

The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics
Author: Berys Gaut
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 706
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1136697144

The third edition of the acclaimed Routledge Companion to Aesthetics contains over sixty chapters written by leading international scholars covering all aspects of aesthetics. This companion opens with an historical overview of aesthetics including entries on Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Adorno, Benjamin, Foucault, Goodman, and Wollheim. The second part covers the central concepts and theories of aesthetics, including the definitions of art, taste, the value of art, beauty, imagination, fiction, narrative, metaphor and pictorial representation. Part three is devoted to issues and challenges in aesthetics, including art and ethics, art and religion, creativity, environmental aesthetics and feminist aesthetics. The final part addresses the individual arts, including music, photography, film, videogames, literature, theater, dance, architecture and design. With ten new entries, and revisions and updated suggestions for further reading throughout, The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics is essential for anyone interested in aesthetics, art, literature, and visual studies.