A Unique Contribution to Democratic Life: Emotions, Meta-ethics, and Meta-cognition in P4wC

It has long been argued that Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) is crucial for democratic education. As is repeatedly discussed in the literature, children and teenagers who take part in philosophy sessions become more thoughtful, more reflective, more considerate, and more reasonable adults, and thus more capable of becoming “participants in the process of democracy itself” (Lipman in Teaching philosophy on the eve of the twenty first century. International Federation of Philosophical Societies, Ankara, p. 6 [2]). Although this is clear to practitioners and theorists who observe and provide training for P4wC sessions, it is still hard to convince those who have not experienced the application of the methodology and the impact of such sessions firsthand. The present chapter attempts to overcome this gap by arguing that an important part of this contribution to citizenship is the way in which P4wC promotes the consideration of meta-ethical questions in the processes of ethical reflection. Understanding the full impact of meta-ethics in ethical inquiry requires a comprehensive approach that recognizes the central role that emotions and metacognitive moments play in teaching reflexivity in P4wC sessions. In addition, P4wC practitioners will understand in greater detail how and why the methodology of the community of inquiry and the topics explored in the sessions contribute to preparing participants for global citizenship.