What is Philosophy?

Would be the view put any person, one need ask of you are not happy to just play concepts, the need to learn to think and not just memorize content. "(Alessandro Moreira)

The child learns very early, to value and to realize the political implications of his being and acting in the world. She does not have these notions themed, or abstracted in these concepts, but are able to perceive them. She touched the face of injustice, suffering and all forms of barbarism of the globalized world: poverty, environmental degradation, violence, hunger, abandonment, etc. They are indignant in the face of injustice. Children live daily conflicts and contradictions of a change that proposes consumerism and immediate pleasure. They question these facts and want to know the reasons why human beings to act in this way. They are interested in seeking outlets for these challenges. If reality is ethically and politically challenging, it is also hopeful for an education for the formation of the subject moral and political in a free, independent and critical.

Philosophy for Children is a form of ethical research on values, allowing the construction of identity freely and responsibly. It is therefore an uplifting practice that values, norms and laws are inculcated to be followed as absolute truths. The dialogue established in the collective process of building a Community of Inquiry takes the meanings of the values ​​of the cultural universe and then submit it to reflection. Also, the Community Research is already an ethical values ​​experience paradigm: mutual respect, cooperation, solidarity, justice, empathy and tolerance in the face of differences, care for each other, trust among members, hope in human capabilities. Being ethical is what takes into account the other in the process of valuing and acting.

 The experience of these values ​​in the research community can feed their continued experience in relationships in a multicultural society. This is the ethical and pedagogical sense of this philosophical and educational paradigm.

Philosophy for Children encourages and seeks to develop the child's ability to think about the ethical values ​​and make them guides to human action. Democratic life is the one that offers the best opportunities for moral growth and the exercise of freedom of thought, expression and choice. When the child begins to philosophize - investigative dialogue about the language we use to give meaning to the world - are exercising their citizenship. Under these conditions, the child is an ethical being and citizen, is a subject that exists at the same time "in itself" and "for you." She is the protagonist of his experience. 

This is not a closed concept of citizenship, but open to the investigation of the senses by the community. Being a citizen in today's world requires the development of the ability to think and act critically, careful, ethics, aesthetics, taking into account justice and the common good. Hence the exercise of citizenship necessarily involves the rigorous, participatory and public investigation of meaning and community references, becoming a practice of ethical and political philosophy. In this sense we can say that philosophy for children has a clear policy and for children.

Citizenship is much more than claim rights and fulfillment of duties is a paradigm of knowledge and democratic life founded on dialogue and research. Children are very interested and like to participate in this process and it is discovering its potential and place for the whole community service. They acquire a sense of value for themselves and the community which results in increased self-esteem. Self-esteem has at least two dimensions: cognitive and affective another. On the one hand the self that is capable of that is able to think, judge and be self-correcting-; On the other hand the feeling of confidence in yourself and in others can respect and be respected, love and be loved. In this sense, self-esteem means to gain power in the destiny self-determination and the fate of the world.

Answer questions "that people want to be?" And "what world I want to live?" Considering the individual, social and cultural conditions is a daily challenge, since they are not questions with answers finished. It is an effort in the direction of the pursuit of good and happy life.