Abstract

LESEIGNEUR, Clarisse. Is there a form of citizenship specific to philosophy for children?. child.philo [online]. 2021, vol.17, e55786.  Epub Feb 28, 2021. ISSN 1984-5987.  https://doi.org/10.12957/childphilo.2021.55786.

Due to the obvious and widely studied Deweyan foundations in the educational program elaborated by philosopher Mathew Lipman, Philosophy for Children (P4C) is often presented as a continuation of Dewey’s ideal, which understands democracy as a “mode of associated living.” I argue that there is a democratic model specific to Lipman’s P4C that cannot be reduced to Dewey’s theories. To do so, I propose to compare Dewey’s and Lipman’s educational models through the Bourdieusian notion of habitus, understood as a set of lasting mental dispositions, following a specific social conditioning, revealed by some practical habits. Studying Dewey’s and Lipman’s educational recommendations concerning inquiry in depth not only reveals that they are structured according to different rationalities, it also highlights the fact that they tend to develop different habits and dispositions in the child, that ultimately form two distinct forms of citizen habitus. Dewey’s habitus could be called experimental and Lipman’s habitus dialogical, and they both correspond to their respective reflections on democracy and the role a citizen should be playing in it. I conclude by highlighting the interesting possibilities that stem from the analysis and comparison of educational models through the notion of habitus.

Keywords : philosophy for children; democracy; habitus; lipman; dewey; bourdieu.

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