Forum: Philosophical questioning can help kids manage emotions better

I think it is time we removed philosophy from its pedestal, and approached it simply as a method of rational inquiry that everyone can practise without formal study (Leave philosophy to the adults – let’s not confuse the kids, Feb 19).

It may be tempting to classify concepts like fairness and rudeness as ideas we intuit from experiences, but the wide variety of religious and cultural norms show that human intuition does not lead everyone to the same conclusions.

In today’s digitalised world, where children are exposed to many confusing and sometimes extreme ideas (17-year-old self-radicalised Singaporean arrested weeks before planned attack in Tampines, Oct 18, 2024), they must have a framework to reason different beliefs out, rather than blindly follow their own or others’ intuitions.

This is especially true in multiracial, multi-religious Singapore, where divisive ideas are a greater threat.

Philosophy may help children emotionally as well. While most children may not experience challenges as complex as the ones adults face, they certainly feel equally strong emotions.

As Mr Ben Kilby pointed out (‘Mum, what’s the meaning of life?’ How to talk about philosophy with little kids, Feb 15), simple philosophical questioning can help children better manage their emotions.

Coping with receiving a smaller piece of cake or envying classmates with nicer stationery are genuine struggles that young children can learn to work through using the same reasoning process that philosophers apply to more complex questions. Many adults would benefit from this as well.

Philosophy may seem daunting, but at its core, it is simply about asking questions. While we need not teach children the meaning of epistemology, we can still guide them to ask “How do we know the earth is round?” This is because questions that cannot be answered easily, or at all, still deserve to be asked, by children and adults alike.

Tay Jing Xuan