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ISBN

0-9168-06-09

Target Grades

Middle School

Publication Date

1982

Publisher

Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

Number of Pages

96

Summary

One day Harry finds himself giving the wrong answer in science class and begins to wonder where he has gone wrong. This reflection soon involves his classmates, who begin to think together about the nature of thinking, inquiry and knowledge. With the help of their teacher, Harry and his classmates discover rules of formal and informal logic, relational logic and hypothetical thinking—-not as ends in themselves, but as tools in helping them understand themselves and their world. Some of the ideas they begin to explore this way include education, mind, rights, religion, art, cause and effect, causes and reasons, and fallibilism. Set within a group of middle school classmates and their families, this novel offers several models of reasonable dialogue, among young people and adults. Adults with a background in philosophy will easily recognize the perennial philosophical issues raised in the story. However, no such background is necessary for young people or adults to enjoy this thought-provoking novel.

Excerpt

Excerpt from Harry Stottlemeier’s Discovery, Chapter 14, episode 1, pp. 69-73

As they traced their way back through the rooms of the museum, Suki stopped in front of a portrait. "He's pretty, isn't he?" she said with a smile.

"That's Titus," replied Anne. "He was Rembrandt's son. I believe he was about eight years old when this was painted, and I think he died a while later."

Suki was no longer smiling. "Poor man," she said, "it's hard to lose someone you love very much."

As they walked home through the park, Anne said, "It's funny, to me that was always just a nice painting. But to you, it was like it was a real person."

"Oh, no," replied Suki, "I know the painting wasn't a real person. In fact, I guess that's why I've never liked paintings much, because they're not alive. I really like it when you point out the colors to me and how they're arranged, but to me, paintings have always been just big smeary squares of canvas. It's only when it's got something to do with life or with people that I can find any interest in it." Suki smiled when she saw Anne frown at her remarks. "After all," she concluded, "people and things are very different, and to me a painting is just a thing."

"But you like plants," protested Anne, "and plants are just things."

"Well, but they're living things," Suki countered.

"Maybe they're living," said Anne, "but they've got no feelings, and they don't show any kind of expression. And yet paintings, even though they're just things, do show expression. So it's not as simple as you thought." To herself, Anne added, "It's not as simple as I thought either."

Suki said softly, "I've always thought of paintings as just pretty things, like bracelets - you know; something ornamental. I never thought of them as having feelings."

"Well, they don't have them," replied Anne, "but they do show them. And not only feelings, but ideas too. Lots of times I can just look at a painting and it's as if I knew right away what the painter's thought was."

Suki considered what Anne said, then she responded, "So plants are part of nature and don't show feelings. And paintings are man-made, and they do show feelings. But what about the human face and the human body? They're not manmade, and yet they do show feelings. So that's a third type altogether, isn't it?"

Anne put her arm around Suki's shoulder and gave her a little hug, and though she didn't say a word, she smiled as if to say, "Yes, Suki, that's it, yes... yes... yes."

Archival Materials

Sources and References for Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery by Matthew Lipman

Editions

Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery, by Matthew Lipman; published 1982 in Montclair, New Jersey by The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

Translations

Keywords

logic, philosophy, education, aesthetics, ethics

Published Reviews and Research

Comments

Grade Range: 4-7; Target Grades: 5-6

1. Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery (novel) by Matthew Lipman

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