Sofia Nikolidaki

This paper aims at introducing the idea of Emerging Philosophizing as a way of naming, describing, developing and further understanding the process of having philosophical moments occurring instantly and coming directly from children in the classroom. On this ground, the main characteristics of philosophizing as developed in the frame of EmPhil along with its differences among other forms of philosophizing are briefly discussed. The conceptualization of EmPhil can be grounded in philosophies that explore the process of thinking as emergence, doing and a way of life. EmPhil is an ongoing idea still developing, changing, and shaping both philosophically and practically in classroom as an experience and a process forming a way of philosophizing that allows children’s thinking to unblock and unlock. Children’s thinking and EmPhil as extension to it, are inevitably and fundamentally related to their own activity, incorporated to it, following the stream of this activity, as EmPhil follows the stream of thinking of this very activity and dives in it. EmPhil opens up systematically the space for children to view their own thoughts, as important that need to be questioned, discussed and not left aside. EmPhil celebrates the “instant”, the “fresh”, the “unfinished”, the “ongoing” process of thinking which keeps changing, altering and developing.

Presupposing that children are able to philosophize within the frame of P4C approaches, this paper argues in favor of adults’ paying philosophical attention into children’s ways of thinking. It is argued that not only adults but also children can offer stimuli for philosophizing. Children’s ways of thinking should be explored philosophically not only in the way that adults would do by linking children’s ideas with existing philosophical matters, but also in the ways that children might indicate. Such approach could not only create new philosophical considerations that adults have not yet thought about but also lead at viewing afresh philosophy. An example of children’s philosophy during their play exemplifies further the importance of adults’ listening to them thinking critically and creatively.