Intro to Philosophy books for Children/Teenagers
There didn't seem to be a thread on point, and I figured I couldn't be the only one interested in this.
I myself am currently looking for a book suitable for an intelligent twelve year old. I'm open to suggestions.
I myself am currently looking for a book suitable for an intelligent twelve year old. I'm open to suggestions.
Comments (31)
Sophie's World is pretty cool too.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Little Prince
The Republic (mid/late teens)
How childish of Aristotle.
I agree! :up:
Smiles and sunshine, tim. Only smiles and sunshine.
:smile:
Well, thanks to you we're up to 10 now!
I'd throw in another five, but... do we dare??? :gasp:
Dare on, my friend.
I'd also like to add the Popol Vuh to the list. :)
I'm not sure if it's a little too similar to the last book I gave her, which was the Arthur Waley translation of Monkey.
It's a loose interpretation of what I had in mind when I OP-ed, but not entirely off point.
I wonder if she's read it?
One thing I can't quite tell about your suggestion from what I see on Amazon: does it look like a textbook? Is it built like a textbook - I mean physically?
I worry... if it looks like a textbook and smells like a textbook, she'll feel about it like it's a textbook. And that's probably not the best way to encourage a 12 year old.
The HGG is definitely an apt suggestion; try probing with references to see if she's read it.
I'd be inclined to recommend Marcus Aurelius if you can find a proper translation.
The Never Ending Story and Momo and the Time Thieves are great books and I found them very thought-provoking when I was younger. Metaphysical problems like "what is time" are heavily prevalent.
Just wanted to thank everyone who's contributed suggestions thus far. Hopefully this thread will grow even more over time! :smile:
Cheers! :smile:
A philosopher can be someone who has studied the works of others and they need not really have their own ideas - they are essentially scholars if philosophy who regurgitate the words and thoughts of others in various ways (some more uniquely than others).
For children I would say it is simply better to encourage natural creativity and exploration. Equip them as we can to be bold and to deal with mistakes. The rest is out of our hands. One large distinction is that the younger we are the more shortsighted we are; being unable/unwilling to plan beyond the next few days or weeks. Teenagers goals are not really thought out beyond the next 12 months at a stretch. Philosophy, appreciation of change, is limited in youth and so studying philosophy intensely too young is less than useful imo.
Many young boys are obsessed with war and such. If anything The Art of War would be engaging for them to some degree - especially given the access to large scale gaming online today (the total war series has a lot to offer in that respect as well as feeding the gamers with a greater urge to learn about the historical contexts).
I’d never read a single book of ‘philosophy’ until around 7 years ago. I’m glad I didn’t or I’d likely not have developed my own views of certain thoughts about existence, life, politics etc.,. Fiction, art, fantasy and a passion for the sciences were my main concerns growing up. I did glance at The Republic when I was about 18 yrs old, but never took it seriously and found it quite dull at the time - superstring theory was far more interesting!
In regards to fiction I found Ian Bainks to be someone I kept returning to over and over.
I first became seriously interested in philosophy when I was 11 years old. Diving into the field at that age had many benefits for me, both at the time and later on in my life.
I don't believe that really describes anyone.
Not to be confused with The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, written about 1500 years earlier.
BTW I like your sequence of favourite philosophers Theologian. They resonate well.
Your list, however, has a more transcendental appeal that mine can never compete with! :smile:
Okay, but there isn't anyone who doesn't come up with their own ideas. Even simply by focusing on someone else's work, you'll come up with unique interpretational ideas, for example.