Philosophy with Children, in all its guises, aims to engender philosophical thinking and reasoning in children. Much is written about what participation in philosophy might do for children academically and emotionally. What is proposed here is that by allowing children to participate in philosophical dialogue they will learn an approach that might support their participation in society. It is inevitable that by living with others one encounters others’ values. It is essential, therefore, that children learn how to deal with others’ values but also that they learn how to develop their own through questioning and reflection. Rather than teach children about values or teach them the values they should hold, this article suggests that children should be afforded opportunities to explore a range of perspectives but that they need to learn how to do this. In addition, though, in order to live harmoniously with others, there are considerations beyond ethics to be encountered. Children need to learn how to engage with politics, art, science, literature, and the wider range of issues that comprise life in a society. Indeed, children need to learn what is required of being a citizen. Here the learning of the child is contextualised in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, where children are expected to be able “to make informed choices and decisions” and to “develop informed, ethical views of complex issues” (Scottish Executive, 2004, p.12) as part of their education for citizenship. If being a citizen involves these elements, then there is a challenge to teachers as to how children will achieve the desired outcomes. The aim of such a curriculum is that children learn for life in order that society will be enhanced. It is posited, in this article, that by participating in philosophical dialogue one is likely to foster appreciation for others and their perspectives, that one’s own values and opinions evolve, and that this philosophical outlook may, in fact, work for the betterment of society. Indeed, what is suggested is that in doing philosophy one learns how to live well.

This article presents an approach in doing philosophy with children through thought experiments, by focusing on that one about founding an utopia. Describing the group work practice and the role of philosophers in the dialogic learning process provided by the mental simulation concerning utopia, the author presents some elementary observations on the central role played by thought experiments both in philosophy and in the natural sciences, and stresses a variety of interesting implications in doing philosophy with children through thought experiments. Finally, the author argues that mental simulation can be an engaging introduction to doing philosophy with children, which are enabled in this way to envision conflicting possibilities and face with something like Wittgenstein’s “puzzle pictures”.

Schools located in underpriviledged areas have to deal with different factors, like the dropout rate among students and teachers; the culture of action, the culture of oral and a «carpe diem» culture; the low literacy rates; the type of children's knowledges — sometimes different from those promoted at school — and the learning difficulties of pupils... In light of these factors, few states have decided to adopt measures to support pupils and teachers in these communities. In this sense, several studies examine the potential role of philosophy for children (P4C), but none examines, in this kind of environment, the integration of P4C in the context of a teaching field experience program. Insofar several novice teachers start their career in these environments, it could be helpful to enrich our comprenhension on this subject. This paper presents results from an exploratory study on this issue, which led to raise questions about the bachelor of education program, at least in our university.