Abstract

KIZEL, Arie. Philosophical communities of inquiry: the search for and finding of meaning as the basis for developing a sense of responsibility. child.philo [online]. 2017, vol.13, n.26, pp.87-103. ISSN 1984-5987.  https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2017.26650.

The attempt to define meaning arouses numerous questions, such as whether life can be meaningful without actions devoted to a central purpose or whether the latter guarantee a meaningful life. Communities of inquiry are relevant in this context because they create relationships within and between people and the environment. The more they address relations-social, cognitive, emotional, etc.-that tie-in with the children’s world even if not in a concrete fashion, the more they enable young people to search for and find meaning. Examining the way in which philosophical communities of inquiry serve as a dialogical space that enables a search for meaning on the personal and collective plane, this article seeks to expand the discussion of how/whether finding meaning on a private or communal level can promote recognition of the existential uniqueness of each individual and the development of a sense of responsibility for him or her. Grounded in the writings of Matthew Lipman, it links his ideas about finding meaning in philosophical communities of inquiry with those of Jean-Paul Sartre, Viktor Frankl, and Emmanuel Levinas, in particular with regard to the association between meaning and responsibility.

Keywords : Philosophy with Children; Philosophical Community of Inquiry; Meaning; Responsibility.

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