By Thomas Jackson and Amber Strong Makaiau

SOCRATES: I see, my dear Theaetetus, that Theodorus had a true insight into your nature when he said that you were a philosopher; for wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.

— Plato, Theaetetus 155c-d, tr. Jowett

In Theaetetus 155 D, Plato asserts that wonder is the nature of a philosopher, and that philosophy begins in wonder. He goes on to say that it is the “sense of wonder that is the mark of the philosopher. Philosophy indeed has no other origin” (1961, 155d). Thomas Jackson, a Specialist in the Philosophy Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has dedicated his life’s work to exploring the intimate connection between philosophy and wonder. This is most evident in the contemplation, curiosity, and joy that he brings to doing philosophy with children. As the founder of the philosophy for children Hawai‘i (p4cHI) movement, he has spent decades working with schools, administrators, teachers, and families to keep the flame of wonder alive in children and to bring John Dewey’s (1916) proposition to life:

If we are willing to conceive education as the process of forming fundamental dispositions, intellectual and emotional, toward nature and fellow men, philosophy may even be defined as the general theory of education (p. 328).

Like Dewey, Jackson believes that we are all born with a sense of wonder--primal wonder--and that the future of our humanity depends on systems of education that cultivate and nurture children’s primal wonder, rather than diminish it.

Early Encounters with Philosophy for Children

Jackson received a PhD in Comparative Philosophy from the University of Hawai’i in 1979. Interested in learning more about Philosophy for Children (P4C), he traveled to Montclair State University in 1984 to attend a three-week workshop with Matthew Lipman. The founder of the now worldwide P4C movement, Lipman was a Columbia University philosophy professor who was deeply disenchanted with the US school system. He believed that children did not think as well as they could or should for life in a democratic society (Lipman 1988; Sharp & Reed 1992), and he was concerned that schools actually encouraged children to have a negative view of their own intellectual abilities. The ‘standard paradigm of normal practice’ in US schools, wrote Lipman (1991), ‘drains’ intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to reason from perfectly ‘curious, imaginative, and inquisitive’ (p. 9) children and ‘before long, [they] become aware that schooling is enervating and dispiriting rather than animating or intellectually provocative’ (p. 10). To address these concerns, he created a curriculum that incorporated the skills of logic and reasoning found in the activity of philosophy to improve students’ thinking in the K–12 setting (Lipman 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993). To Jackson, this was an inspiring, game-changing approach to working with children, a provocative new way of thinking about philosophy and an exciting development in education.

Since 1984 he has been passionately committed to the development of P4C in Hawai`i and around the world. For fifteen years he was the Director of the Philosophy in the Schools Project, a joint effort between the (UHM) Department of Philosophy and the Hawai’i State Department of Education. This project funded philosophy department graduate students who worked in public school classrooms throughout the state of Hawai’i, assisting teachers in doing philosophy with children. An outgrowth of this work is the UHM Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education, which was established in 2012. The Uehiro Academy is the home of p4cHI--a progressive approach to education that is transforming the schooling experience by engaging people in the activity of philosophy. p4cHI aids students and teachers in converting traditional classrooms into intellectually safe communities of inquiry. Together, they develop their ability to think for themselves in responsible ways by engaging in inquiries that arise from their interests, experiences, and learning contexts.

“Big P” and “little p” Philosophy 

Critical to Jackson’s work is his distinction between “Big P” and “little p” philosophy (Jackson, 2010). “Big P” philosophy refers to the traditional understanding of philosophy as an academic specialization, suitable for adults. In this view, philosophy is represented in the thoughts and writings of the great philosophers. They include, among other illustrious names, the works and ideas of Western philosophers such as Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche, and non-Western philosophers, such as Sankara, Nagarjuna, Zhuangzu, and Confucius. “Big P” philosophers engage in philosophy through the study of these canonical philosophers and their texts. Professional philosophers must show a certain command over these ideas and be able to converse in the formal language of the discipline of “Big P” philosophy. They do this by engaging in critical discussions and arguments of these ideas, offering interpretations of recognized past and current philosophers, and publishing and presenting at conferences. These activities situate philosophy as an elite academic discipline, in which participation and entrance in the field is reserved for those who have obtained a PhD in the subject, are tenured, and who labor to add to the philosophical literature.  

“little p” philosophy is inspired by the thoughts and actions of Socrates. Expressed in part by the quotes at the start of this blog, each one of us enters the world with a basic capacity to engage in philosophy. Thanks to our natural ability for curiosity and wonder, we all have the first essential conditions for becoming “little p” philosophers (Jackson, 2011). Properly nurtured, “the curious mind [of the child] is constantly alert and exploring, seeking material for thought, as a vigorous body is on the qui vive for nutriment. Eagerness for experience, for new and varied contacts, is found where wonder is found” (Dewey, 1910/1997, p. 31). An important shift in perspective, this view of philosophy moves away from canonical texts and the activities that absorb academic philosophers. It recognizes in all of us a deepening sense of wonder, unconstrained by worries such as: Is it philosophical or not? What makes something philosophical? Instead, wonder and inquiry become accessible, and an ever-present possibility, in school and out! 

In the context of progressive education, as Dewey so clearly recognized, the principal task of the teacher then is “to keep the sacred spark of wonder alive and to fan the flame that already glows...to protect the spirit of inquiry, to keep it from becoming blasé from overexcitement, wooden from routine, fossilized through dogmatic instruction, or dissipated by random exercise on trivial things (Dewey, 1910/1997, p. 34). As they embrace philosophy as a general theory of education, they can consider more deeply wonder’s origins. They might ask: when does wonder itself begin?

Primal Wonder and Education

Jackson believes that wonder and hence the origin of philosophy, begins at birth. This is the special, powerful form of wonder he refers to as PRIMAL WONDER. Primal (from the Latin Primus, “first”) wonder is pre-language, pre-thought, pre-culture, and pre-beliefs. It  embodies what Zen Buddhists refer to as shoshin or a "beginner's mind." The original state of mind we were born with--a beginner’s mind is free of bias and prejudice and has great capacity for playfulness and joy. As Suzuki (1970) explains,

"Original mind” includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few (p.2).

This understanding of wonder, embodied by a beginner’s mind, calls on all of us, including educators to unname (Le Guin, 1985) modern conceptualizations and understandings of philosophy and re-think the purpose of an education.

When we recognize that there is a philosopher inherent in every child, we can come to see schooling as an opportunity to make the most out of children’s natural tendencies to question, engage in inquiry, and think deeply about themselves and the world around them. Through the recognition of primal wonder in children, educators also have the chance to recover it in themselves. Ultimately, a strong belief in primal wonder helps teachers and students develop: passion for this gift of life they have been granted, understanding and acceptance of uncertainty, comfort in the place of “not knowing,” and recognition that we are not alone as we travel through this mystery of life together. 

Over the years, Jackson has observed that with language acquisition, primal wonder finds a voice. Children with gentle insistence begin asking questions: Why? How come? Yes, but why? As soon as they enter preschool and early elementary, he sees childrens’ developing command of language, further refining their own voice of primal wonder. They query: Did anything come before space? Could Santa die? How does the water know where to go? What is nothing? Could you teach a cockroach kungfu? Unfortunately, he also observes how “being in a rush,” pressure to respond to prescribed curriculum, mandated pacing guides, compulsory texts, and standardized tests can cause teachers to ignore wonderings and questions like these and ultimately send the message to students that wonder is not valued in school. He wonders: Why is this happening? Why aren’t we making the most of primal wonder in school? What can we do instead?

Gently Socratic Inquiry, Keeping the Flame of Primal Wonder Alive in All of Us

For Jackson, doing philosophy with children is one possible answer to the questions above. His notion of "Gently Socratic" inquiry (Jackson, 2001) recognizes that a paramount objective of education is to help students develop their ability to think for themselves and to learn to use this ability in responsible ways. It also acknowledges that much of current schooling still falls short of helping students achieve this. Frequently, by the time children reach 3rd grade, the sense of wonder with which they entered kindergarten--wonder out of which authentic thinking and thus thinking for oneself develops---has begun to diminish. By 6th grade it has practically disappeared. Children’s thinking focuses instead on what the teacher expects. A major contributing factor to this loss of wonder is the failure to properly nurture the true voices of children. Due to a variety of pressures, both internal and external, the typical classroom teacher seems to accept that there “just isn’t time” for children’s genuine wondering and questioning, from which fruitful inquiries can grow. This must change--especially when educators have progressive pedagogies, like p4cHI to draw from, which can help to nourish and grow the primal wonder found in all of us. 

In the Apology, Socrates’ famously remarked that life is not worth living if it is void of investigation and inquiry.

Let no day pass without discussing goodness and all the other subjects about which you hear me talking and examining both myself and others is really the very best thing that a man can do, and that life without this sort of examination is not worth living (Plato, 1961, 38a)

Although Socrates did not see himself as wise, he believed that the examination of one’s beliefs and conceptions of the world gives life purpose. Acutely aware of how little he knew about wisdom, himself, and the world around him; he spent his life in a quest to show the Oracle at Delphi (who proclaimed that there was none wiser than Socrates) that she must be mistaken. His search through dialogues, for someone wiser amongst his fellow Athenians, opened up doors to new ways of thinking, feeling, and being that continue to impact our lives today. As Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently puts it in Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963), “Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal.” Given the current state of the human condition--polarization, misinformation, deep confusion, mistrust of fellow men, and the existential threat of climate change--the applied lessons of Socrates and Dewey’s call to fan the flame of primal wonder in schools could not be more urgent. Educators must commit to themselves and to their students that they will do what it takes to keep the vestige of primal wonder alive. In this environment, inquiry will grow and together we will discover a purpose driven life.

Works Cited:

Dewey, J. (1910/1997). How We Think. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, NY: The Free Press.

Jackson, T. (2001). The art and craft of “Gently Socratic” inquiry. In A. Costa (Ed.), Developing minds: A resource book for teaching thinking (3rd Ed). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Jackson, T. (2010, October 10). On p/Philosophy [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pylLnHzfwI0

Jackson, T. (2011). P4C Hawaiian Style: We are not in a Rush. Paper presented at the American Philosophical Association’s Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.

King, Martin L. Letter from the Birmingham Jail. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994. Print.

Le Guin, U. (1985, January). She unnames them. The New Yorker, 27.

Lipman, M. (1988). Philosophy goes to school. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Lipman, M. (1989). “The cultivation of reasoning through philosophy.” In R. Brandt (Ed.) Readings from educational leadership; Teaching thinking. (p. 144–149). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Lipman, M. (1991). Thinking in education. Victoria, Australia: Cambridge University Press. 

Lipman, M. (1993). Philosophy for children. In M. Lipman (Ed.), Thinking children and education. (p. 373–384). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

Plato. (1961). E. Hamilton and H. Cairns (Eds.). The Collected Dialogues of Plato; Including the Letters. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press

Suzuki, S., In Dixon, T., Smith, H., Baker, R., & Harmon, A. (1970). Zen mind, beginner's mind. Boston: Shambhala.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Dr. Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) is Director of the UH Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. In 1979 he received his doctorate in Comparative Philosophy from the University of Hawai'i. In 1984 he learned of the work of Dr. Matthew Lipman, creator of the now world recognized initiative Philosophy for Children (P4C). Inspired by a three week training workshop at Montclair State College conducted by Dr. Lipman & Ann Margaret Sharp, attended by some 30 international educators Dr. J returned to Hawai'i, intent on bringing this incredibly rich, promising initiative to Hawai'i. philosophy for children Hawai'i (p4cHawai'i) is our own "Home Grown" expression of Lipman's original inspiration.

Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Director of Curriculum and Research at the Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education, Director of the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center, and Co-Director of the Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy MEd Interdisciplinary Education, Curriculum Studies program. A former Hawai‘i State Department of Education high school social studies teacher, her work in education is focused around promoting a more just and equitable democracy for today’s children. Dr. Makaiau lives in Honolulu where she enjoys spending time in the ocean with her husband and two children.