Matthew Lipman
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Matthew Lipman (born on august 24, 1922) 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. This, along with 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 of many books specifically designed to help children practice philosophy, Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery. A primary goal of Philosophy for children is to foster critical thinking, defined by Lipman as “thinking that (1) facilitates judgment because it (2) relies on criteria, (3) is self-correcting, and (4) is sensitive to context.” [1]He challenges educators to create a community of inquiry to this end. The IAPC continues to develop and publish curriculum, working internationally to advance and improve philosophy for children.
[edit] Academic Timeline
- 1948 - Undergraduate study at Stanford University, California; Shrivenham American University, England; School of General Studies, Columbia University, New York. (B.S. in General Studies, Columbia University).
- 1953 - Instructor in Philosophy, Brooklyn College, Spring.
- 1953 to 1975 - Adjunct Assistant and Associate Professor, School of General Studies, City College of New York.
- 1954 - Graduate study at Columbia University; Sorbonne, Paris; University of Vienna, 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 Music, 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 College.
- 1972 ... - Professor of Philosophy, Montclair State College.
- 1974 ... - Director, Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children, Montclair State College.
[edit] Bibliography (Partial)
- What Happens in Art (New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1967).
- Discovering Philosophy (1st edition, New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1969; 2nd edition, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, 1977).
- Contemporary Aesthetics (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1973).
- Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery (N.J.: IAPC, 1974).
- Philosophical Inquiry (Instructional Manual to Accompany Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery), with Ann Margaret Sharp (N.J.: IAPC, 1975). Second Edition: Philosophical Inquiry, with Ann Margaret Sharp and Frederick S. Oscanyan (N.J.: IAPC, 1979), co published with University Press, 1984.
- Philosophy for Children (edited with Terrell Ward Bynam) (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1976).
- Lisa (N.J.: IAPC, 1976), 2nd edition, IAPC, 1983.
- Ethical Inquiry, with Ann Margaret Sharp and Frederick S. Oscanyan (N.J.: IAPC, 1977) 2nd ed., IAPC and UPA, 1985.
- Philosophy in the Classroom, with Ann Margaret Sharp and Frederick S. Oscanyan (1st edition, N.J.: IAPC, 1977. 2nd edition, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1980).
- Growing Up With Philosophy, ed. with Ann Margaret Sharp (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978).
- Suki (N.J.: IAPC, 1978).
- Mark (N.J.: IAPC, 1980).
- Writing: How and Why (instructional manual to accompany Suki; N.J.: IAPC, 1980).
- Social Inquiry (instructional manual to accompany Mark; N.J.: IAPC, 1980).
- Pixie (N.J.: IAPC, 1981).
- Kio and Gus (N.J.: IAPC, 1982).
- Looking for Meaning (with Ann Margaret Sharp) (N.J.: IAPC, 1982) UPA, 1984.
- Wondering at the World (with Ann Margaret Sharp) (N.J.: IAPC, 1984).
- Elfie (N.J.: IAPC, 1987).
- Harry Prime (N.J.: IAPC, 1987).
- Philosophy Goes to School (Philadelphia: Temple U. Press, 1988).
- Getting Our Thoughts Together, with Ann Gazzard (Upper Montclair, NJ: IAPC, 1988).
- Thinking in Education (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991; 2nd edition, 2003).
- Thinking Children and Education (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1993).
- Natasha: Vygotskian Dialogues (New York: Teachers College Press, 1996).
- Nous (New Jersey, I.A.P.C., 1996)
- Deciding What to Do (Instructional Manual to Nous, New Jersey;IAPC, 1996)
[edit] External links
- IAPC home page
- IAPC Timeline
- Interview with Matthew Lipman
- 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