About the "Conversations with Children" Series#
One of the important reasons for restarting the blog is to record my thoughts, reflections, experiences, and actions as time passes. As I get a bit older, it becomes easier to forget things; after going through a few experiences, I start to fear that beautiful moments and memories will be quickly forgotten; I fear that the pitfalls I've encountered and the lessons learned will also be forgotten too soon; I fear that the very clear inspirations during reading or discussions will be completely forgotten the next day. Therefore, after restarting the blog, I try to record meaningful content; one of these is the initiation of the "Conversations with Children" series.
About the Recorded Content#
I hope to share some original, high-quality, and valuable content as much as possible. The content I originally shared seemed rather mixed; later on, I might focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, children's education, casual work discussions, and quality online tools and services.
"Conversations with Children" Are Worth Recording#
In a way, children are natural "philosophers"#
The questions children ask may seem unnecessary or even trivial if not thought through carefully; however, upon deeper reflection, one finds that these questions are actually very good and quite difficult to answer. Often, the questions posed by children, when considered and guided thoughtfully, reveal very interesting insights. After all, children's perspectives are relatively free from many constraints and biases, allowing them to directly address the essence of problems and situations. Thus, children's questions carry the essence of a philosopher, and the children who pose these questions are natural philosophers. A philosopher, in essence, is someone who thinks more systematically, deeply, and transparently about certain issues than the average person. Therefore, encouraging children to learn to think can lead to unexpected intellectual gains for oneself as well.
Encouraging Meaningful Thinking Together with Children#
Although children are natural "philosophers," I do not wish for them to become professional philosophers; rather, I hope they can learn the thinking styles of philosophers, such as addressing the essence of problems and simplifying complexities. The questions philosophers ponder often have no fixed answers and can evoke a sense of loneliness that comes from being uniquely aware while others are oblivious. Moreover, as Descartes contemplated, appropriate philosophical thinking may be beneficial for life, but excessive philosophical thinking could be harmful.
For my child, whether they have an interest in philosophy may not be the most important factor in living a good life; furthermore, one cannot force a child to have an interest in philosophy. Overly cultivating or encouraging this interest may lead a child to prematurely enter the "adult world of thought," losing the joys of childhood too soon. After all, as Su Shi said, "The troubles of life begin with literacy"; if literacy is so, how much more so is independent thinking? Therefore, I encourage my child's various interests, including music, painting, food, and solving problems through programming, and of course, I also encourage deep thinking. Books like "Jade Philosophy Enlightenment: Children's Series" attempt to provide good examples of parents encouraging children to think; Professor Zhou Guoping also believes in the preface of this book that we should encourage and accompany children in thinking, without dampening their enthusiasm for thought. [The title of this preface, "Encouraging Children's Interest in Philosophy," seems somewhat forced or off-topic; perhaps changing it to "Thinking Together with Children" would be more appropriate.]
Conversations with Children Are Worth Recording Because We Are All Unique#
In an ideal discussion, all beings are equal; each person is unique; everyone deserves to be recorded.
For example, as a son, I am unique; and as a father, I am also unique. From my perspective, recording life experiences and observations is also unique. Similarly, although children are small, the questions they ask are equally worthy of serious consideration and are meaningful. Even if the recorded content is a discussion with my child about something trivial, it is still unique and meaningful; at least during the discussion, both my child and I are happy and joyful. What I record here may be the questions my child asks after serious thought and the content of our dialogue after my careful consideration. Of course, my discussions with my child are merely a form of dialogue similar to Plato's dialogues and do not imply that my answers are correct or standard. Moreover, I am well aware that no matter how old my child is, I am also experiencing being a father to this child for the first time during this period, and the areas where I fall short and need reflection are also worth recording. Just as a line from the Korean drama "Reply 1988" goes, "I am also a first-time dad, and there are many things I don't understand; please forgive me for the places where I do not do well!" (or something to that effect).
"Conversations with Children" Means "Thinking Together with Children"#
In summary, "Conversations with Children" actually means "Thinking Together with Children" and recording the process and content of that thinking. The act of recording the dialogue and the thinking process itself is meaningful; if the recorded content and reflections benefit my future self, my future child, or the readers, then it becomes even more meaningful.
Notes#
【Footnote】:
- Regarding children as natural "philosophers," I put it in quotes here. However, directly calling them philosophers seems somewhat inappropriate, as children's questions are often immature and lack systematic thinking. The notion of children as philosophers includes works like Pierro Ferrucci's "Children Are Philosophers: Rediscovering Children, Rediscovering Ourselves"; "Jade Philosophy Enlightenment: Children's Book Series" (6 volumes); for professional academic research, one can refer to the works of Robert Fisher and Peter Worley, as well as Gao Zhenyu's "Introduction to Children's Philosophy" in China. For reference, see this article.