Have you ever asked a question that didn’t have an easy answer?

Maybe you’ve wondered:

• Why are we here?
• What makes something fair?
• Is it ever okay to lie?
• How do we know something is true?
• What makes you… you?

If you’ve asked questions like these, then you’ve already started doing something very important:

You’re thinking philosophically!

Philosophy for kids isn’t about memorizing difficult words or knowing the answers to everything. It’s about being curious, asking big questions, and thinking carefully about the world around you.

Let’s explore what philosophy is and why ANYONE can be a philosopher, even without a cool beard!

What Is Philosophy?

Philosophy is the practice of asking big questions and thinking carefully about possible answers.

The word philosophy comes from ancient Greek. It is often translated as meaning “the love of wisdom.”

A philosopher is someone who wants to understand important things.

For example, imagine someone says:

“You should always tell the truth.”

You might agree with that!

But a philosopher might ask:

Why should we always tell the truth?

Then another question might appear:

What if telling the truth could hurt someone’s feelings?

And then:

Is telling the truth always the right thing to do?

One question can lead to another question!

Sometimes those questions can lead us to see things in a completely new way.

That’s one reason philosophy is so cool and interesting!

Philosophy Starts With Curiosity

You don’t need to have all the answers to think like a philosopher.

You just need to be curious.

Philosophers often ask questions such as:

• Why?
• How do we know?
• What does that mean?
• Is that always true?
• Could there be another answer?

Sometimes a simple question can become much bigger than we expected.

For example:

What makes a person a good person?

At first, you might say:

“Being kind!”

But then you might wonder:

What if someone is kind to their friends but mean to everyone else?

Then you might ask:

Can a good person make bad choices?

Suddenly, one small question has become a very big one!

Why Do People Ask Big Questions?

Humans are naturally curious.

We want to understand the things around us.

Children often ask questions like:

• Why is the sky blue?
• Where do babies come from?
• Why do people die?
• Why do we have rules?

Some questions can be answered by science.

For example, science can help explain why rain falls or how plants grow.

But some questions are different.

Imagine asking:

What makes something pretty?

There may not be one answer that everyone agrees on.

One person might think a painting is cool!

Someone else might not.

So how do we decide?

Or imagine asking:

What makes life meaningful?

Science can tell us many amazing things about how the universe works.

But questions about meaning, values, fairness, and right and wrong often require us to think in a different way.

That’s where philosophy comes in!

Big Questions Help Us Think

Asking big questions can help us:

• Understand other people.
• Think about our beliefs.
• Make difficult decisions.
• Consider different ideas.
• Become better problem solvers.

You don’t have to agree with everyone.

In fact, philosophers often disagree!

The important thing is learning how to think carefully about why you believe something.

What Questions Do Philosophers Ask?

Philosophy can explore many different kinds of questions.

Here are a few examples.

Questions About Right and Wrong

These questions are about how we should treat other people and make decisions.

For example:

• Is it ever okay to lie?
• What makes something fair?
• Should we always follow the rules?
• Why should we help other people?

These questions don’t always have easy answers.

Imagine that you promised not to tell anyone a secret.

But then you discover that someone could be hurt if you keep the secret.

What should you do?

Should you keep your promise?

Or should you tell someone to prevent harm?

Philosophy helps us think about difficult choices like these.

Questions About Who We Are

Have you ever changed your mind about something?

Maybe you used to hate vegetables but now you love them.

Maybe you used to be afraid of dogs, but now you have a dog of your own.

People change all the time.

So here’s a big question:

What makes you the same person over time?

Are you the same person you were when you were a baby?

You look different.

You know more things.

You probably have different favorite foods.

So what makes you… you?

Questions About Truth

Imagine two people disagree.

One person says:

“This is true.”

The other says:

“No, it isn’t!”

How can we figure out who is right?

Philosophers ask questions like:

• What is truth?
• How do we know something is true?
• Can we believe something that turns out to be wrong?
• What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?

These questions are especially useful when we hear information online.

It’s important to ask:

How do I know this is true?

Questions About Reality

Here’s a strange question:

How do you know you’re not dreaming right now?

You might immediately say:

“Of course I’m not dreaming!”

But dreams can sometimes feel very real.

While you’re dreaming, you might not realize that you’re asleep.

So how can you know for sure?

Questions about reality can seem strange, but they can also be a lot of fun!

Questions About Animals

Have you ever looked at a dog and wondered:

What is it thinking?

Animals can behave in ways that suggest they experience things like:

• Being scared
• Lots of Excitement
• Feeling comfy
• even pain

But can animals think the way humans do?

Can they have friends?

Can they dream?

And if animals can feel pain and being scared, what kind of responsibilities do humans have toward them?

These questions combine our science with philosophy.

Questions About Robots and AI

Technology gives us lots of brand new questions to think about.

Imagine a robot that could talk to you.

It remembers your birthday.

It makes you laugh.

It says:

“I’m happy to see you!”

Could the robot be your friend?

What if it said:

“I’m sad.”

Would the robot really feel sad?

Or would it simply be programmed to say those words?

As technology changes, philosophy helps us think about questions we may never have had before!

Can Kids Be Philosophers?

Absolutely!

You don’t have to be an adult to ask big questions.

In fact, children can be excellent philosophers.

Why?

Because kids are naturally curious.

Children often ask questions that adults have stopped thinking about.

For example:

“Why do we have to do things this way?”

Or:

“Who decided that?”

Or even:

“But why?”

Adults sometimes laugh when children keep asking “why?”

But asking “why?” can be a very important habit.

Philosophers Don’t Just Accept Everything

Imagine someone tells you:

“That’s just the way things are.”

A philosopher might ask:

But why are things that way?

This doesn’t mean you should argue with everyone!

It means you can think carefully about the reasons behind things.

For example:

Someone says:

“We have rules at school.”

You might ask:

Why do we have rules?

Then:

What would happen if there were no rules?

Then:

Are all rules fair?

Then:

Is it ever okay to break a rule?

That’s your philosophical thinking in action!

There Is No Age Requirement

You don’t need to be an adult or old person to be a philosopher either!
Usually when we think of philosophers we think of:

• A fancy office.
• A huge library.
• A school degree.
• A long white beard!

but in all actually just need one thing

A curious mind!

How Can You Start Thinking Like a Philosopher?

You can start thinking philosophically right now.

Here are five simple ways.

1. Ask Why

Don’t be afraid to ask:

Why?

If something happens, try asking why it happened.

If someone believes something, ask why they believe it.

If there is a rule, ask why the rule exists.

You might discover that there are good reasons.

Or you might discover that nobody has really thought about it before!

2. Ask How Do We Know?

This is one of the most useful questions you can ask.

Imagine someone says:

“Dogs can understand every word humans say.”

You could ask:

How do we know?

What evidence would support the idea?

Could there be another explanation?

Asking for evidence can help us separate guesses from facts.

3. Imagine Different Situations

Philosophers often use their imagination.

Imagine:

You find a wallet full of money!

Nobody sees you find it.

What should you do?

Now imagine that the person who lost the wallet REALLY really needs the money.

Does your answer change?

Thinking about different situations can help us understand why we believe what we believe.

4. Listen to Other People

You don’t have to agree with someone to listen to them.

Sometimes another person might have a completely different idea.

Ask:

• Why do you think that?
• How did you reach that conclusion?
• What experiences made you think that way?

Listening can help us understand perspectives we hadn’t considered before.

5. Be Okay With Saying “I Don’t Know”

You don’t always need an answer.

Sometimes the most honest answer is:

“I don’t know yet.”

And that’s okay!

Not knowing something can be the beginning of learning something new and honesty is important!

Big Questions to Think About

Ready to try some philosophy for yourself?

Here are some big questions for kids.

Questions About You

• What makes you who you are?
• Are you the same person you were as a baby?
• What would happen if you lost all your memories?
• Can people completely change?

Questions About Right and Wrong

• Is it ever okay to lie?
• What makes something fair?
• Is it ever okay to break a rule?
• Would you do the right thing if nobody was watching?

Questions About Animals

• Can animals think?
• Do animals have feelings?
• Can animals have friends?
• Do animals dream?

Questions About Technology

• Can a robot be your friend?
• Can artificial intelligence think?
• Can robots have feelings?
• Should robots have rights?

Questions About Reality

• How do we know something is true?
• How do we know we’re not dreaming?
• Can two people both be right?
• What is reality?

Questions About Life

• Why are we here?
• What makes life meaningful?
• Is being happy the most important thing?
• Would you want to live forever?

You don’t need to answer all of these questions right away.

Some questions are worth thinking about for a long time.

And sometimes your answer might change.

That’s okay too.

The Best Thing About Philosophy

One of the best things about philosophy is that it teaches us that thinking is an adventure.

You might start with one question.

Then you discover another.

Then another.

Soon, you might find yourself thinking about something you had never considered before.

Philosophy doesn’t always give us easy answers.

Sometimes it gives us something even more valuable:

Better questions.

A good question can help us:

• Learn something new.
• Understand another person.
• Solve a problem.
• Challenge an idea.
• Change our mind.

And sometimes changing your mind is a good thing!

It can mean that you learned something.

So, What Is Philosophy?

Philosophy is the practice of asking important questions and thinking carefully about possible answers.

It’s about curiosity.

It’s about wondering.

It’s about asking:

Why?

How do we know?

What if?

Is there another way to think about this?

You don’t need to know everything to become a philosopher.

In fact, philosophers are often interested in questions that nobody has completely answered.

So the next time you find yourself wondering about something strange, difficult, or interesting, don’t ignore the question.

Think about it.

Talk about it.

Ask someone else what they think.

You might discover something new.

After all, every big idea often begins with a simple question.

What Do You Think?

There isn’t always one correct answer in philosophy.

Here are a few questions for you to think about:

What is the biggest question you’ve ever asked?

Do you think every question has an answer?

Is asking questions more important than knowing answers?

Can two people disagree and both be reasonable?

What question would you ask a philosopher?

Take your time.

There are no prizes for answering quickly!

Sometimes the best questions are the ones we continue thinking about!