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From Critical Thinking to Artful Communication: Inspirations from Dewey’s Theory of Communication



Author(s)

Jessica Ching-Sze Wang

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5313/2016.02.005

The idea of Philosophy for Children (P4C) initiated by Matthew Lipman aims to foster critical and creative thinking in children through the pedagogy of a community of inquiry. In his formulation of P4C, Lipman emphasizes the role of logical reasoning in thinking and assumes a mutually reinforcing relationship between critical and creative thinking. In this paper, I present an example of a real classroom dialogue which illustrates the inherent tension between logical and creative thinking, as well as the need to go beyond critical thinking. I then proceed to argue for the importance of communication in creating and sustaining a genuine community of inquiry. In conclusion, I suggest that John Dewey’s view of communication as essentially transformative, aesthetic, educative, and moral can be made the basis for envisioning an alternative focus of P4C—namely, the ideal of artful communication, which has far-reaching implications for realizing the democratic idea of “community” in a community of inquiry.

Matthew Lipman, John Dewey, philosophy for children, critical thinking, communication