From "Children as Natural Born Philosophers" to "The Philosophy of Childhood"

In spired by Matthew Lipman, Gareth B. Matthews published The Philosophy of Childhood in 1994 and brought forth "the philosophy of childhood" for the first time, connecting "childhood" with "philosophy." "The philosophy of childhood" seems to be proposed in contrast with "the philosophy of adulthood." Before "the philosophy of childhood" is proposed or known, "philosophy" seemed to be synonymous with "the philosophy of adulthood." If "the philosophy of childhood" is legitimate, first, one has to presume that children can be philosophers, even in a broader sense of the word; second, one must explain the relationship between "the philosophy of childhood" and "the philosophy of adulthood," what "the philosophy of childhood" means to "the philosophy of adulthood," and whether "the philosophy of childhood" is the premise of and supplement to "the philosophy of adulthood." In this article, we discuss the meaning, significance and value of "the philosophy of childhood" in view of "the three aspects of the philosophy for children," "children as natural born philosophers" and "what a philosopher really is."