Matthew Lipman
Encyclopedia
Matthew Lipman is recognized as the founder of Philosophy for Children
. His decision to bring philosophy
to young people came from his experience as a professor at Columbia University
, where he witnessed underdeveloped reasoning skills in his students. His interest was particularly on developing reasoning skills by teaching logic
. The belief that children possess the ability to think abstractly from an early age, led him to the conviction that bringing logic to children's education earlier would help them to improve their reasoning skills.
In 1972 he left Columbia for Montclair State College to establish the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) where he began to take philosophy into K-12 classrooms in Montclair. That year he also published his first book specifically designed to help children practice philosophy, Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery
. The IAPC continues to develop and publish curriculum
, working internationally to advance and improve philosophy for children.
on December 26, 2010. Lipman's marriage to his first wife, New Jersey State Senator
Wynona Lipman
, ended with their divorce.
Philosophy for Children
Philosophy for Children, sometimes abbreviated to P4C, is a movement that aims to teach reasoning and argumentative skills to children. There are also related methods sometimes called "Philosophy for Young People" or "Philosophy for Kids". Often the hope is that this will be a key influence in the...
. His decision to bring philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
to young people came from his experience as a professor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he witnessed underdeveloped reasoning skills in his students. His interest was particularly on developing reasoning skills by teaching logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
. The belief that children possess the ability to think abstractly from an early age, led him to the conviction that bringing logic to children's education earlier would help them to improve their reasoning skills.
In 1972 he left Columbia for Montclair State College to establish the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) where he began to take philosophy into K-12 classrooms in Montclair. That year he also published his first book specifically designed to help children practice philosophy, Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery
Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery
Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery is a philosophical novel for children by Matthew Lipman. The novel was Lipman's first, and inaugurated the educational movement known as Philosophy for Children. In the early 1970s it entered Montclair Public Schools in New Jersey. Lipman subsequently published an...
. The IAPC continues to develop and publish curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, working internationally to advance and improve philosophy for children.
Death
Lipman died, aged 87, in West Orange, New JerseyWest Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
on December 26, 2010. Lipman's marriage to his first wife, New Jersey State Senator
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
Wynona Lipman
Wynona Lipman
Wynona Moore Lipman was an American Democratic Party politician who represented the 29th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate...
, ended with their divorce.
Academic timeline
- 1948 - Undergraduate study at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, California; Shrivenham American University, England; School of General Studies, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York. (B.S. in General Studies, Columbia University).
- 1953 - Instructor in Philosophy, Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn CollegeBrooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
, Spring.
- 1953 to 1975 - Adjunct Assistant and Associate Professor, School of General Studies, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
- 1954 - Graduate study at Columbia University; SorbonneSorbonneThe Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, Paris; University of ViennaUniversity of ViennaThe University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, Austria. (Ph.D., Department of Philosophy, Columbia University).
- 1954 to 1972 - Assistant, Associate and Professor of Philosophy, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Columbia University, (Also, Chairman, Department of General Education during this period).
- 1954 to 1962 - Lecturer in Philosophy and Contemporary Civilization, Columbia College, Columbia University.
- 1955 to 1963 - Lecturer in Contemporary Civilization, Mannes College of MusicMannes College of MusicMannes College The New School for Music is The New School university's music conservatory. While the university's main campus is located in Greenwich Village, New York City, Mannes maintains its main academic building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan....
, New York City.
- 1960 to 1972 - Chairman, Philosophy Department, Evening Division, Baruch School, City College of New York.
- 1961 to 1963 - Lecturer in Contemporary Civilization, College of Engineering, Columbia University.
- 1962 to 1972 - Chairman, Department of General Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Columbia University.
- 1963 to 1964 - Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Sarah Lawrence CollegeSarah Lawrence CollegeSarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
.
- 1972 to 2010 - Professor of Philosophy, Montclair State College.
- 1974 to 2010 - Director, Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children, Montclair State College.
External links
- IAPC home page
- IAPC Timeline
- Summary and analysis of Lipman's Thinking in Education
- The International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children
- Philosophy for Children entry in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Center of Research in Philosophy for Children -Argentina, C.I.Fi.N- Argentina
- International Philosophy Olympiad