The philosophic path

It will be many years before the adolescent sees the accumulation of questions as wisdom. It is a steep and arduous journey to the place of humility that permits admitting that each person may have a separate reality and that the vision of truth may be elusive and idiosyncratic. In the meantime, the search continues and youthful energy waxes and wanes, building to a crescendo and crashing in whimpers. Truly bright youngsters need help maintaining equilibrium, especially since most peers are neither engaged in, nor interested in the Quixotic pursuit. It also helps teens to know that the mystical path to knowing is an arduous task worthy of their time and energy, and just as unsettling for all who walk it.

The future

Imagine a space where not only could youth explore their emotions through art, but could also philosophize.

Few of us could imagine conducting Socratic debates with early adolescents over issues of murder and suicide, social pathology or religious indecision, but that may be just what these youth need. Facing existential dread alone, without guidance, may lead to suicide rather than deeper, questing thought. Serious attention to the individual’s perceptions and issues is crucial. Once we take the student seriously, we can begin focusing reading to include works of others who have asked about the same enduring questions. We can talk constructively about age mates developing these same questions or never being faced with them as urgently, thus reassuring students of the saneness of their pursuits and making it feel less alienating. Along with deep philosophical questions can come an ability to see and value second person perspective. Three excellent sources for discussing philosophical development are Jean Piaget (1964), who is fairly easy to read, Lawrence Kohlberg (1984) who can be very difficult reading and Carol Gilligan (1982) who speaks of the importance of considering gender in the development of moral reasoning.