4. First Edition (1974) of Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery

Authors

Matthew Lipman, Montclair State University

Files

ISBN

Education Resources Information Center Document 103 298

Target Grades

Middle School

Publication Date

1974

Publisher

Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

Number of Pages

100

Copyright Agreement

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-- To only use the materials for educational and/or research purposes and not to use, share, or reproduce them for any commercial use (other than to be paid for teaching);

--Not to translate, sell, or adapt the material in print or other media without permission (to request such permission, contact iapc@montclair.edu);

--To indemnify and hold harmless the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) and Montclair State University from any legal liability caused by your use of these materials, and to compensate the IAPC and/or the University from any harm or loss resulting from your use of these materials.

Summary

Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery is the student book for a project in philosophical thinking. It offers a model of dialogue—both of children with one another and of children with adults. The story is set among a classroom of children who begin to understand the basics of logical reasoning when Harry, who isn't paying attention in class, says that a comet is a planet because he remembers hearing that comets revolve around the sun just as planets do. The events that follow in the classroom and outside of school are a recreation of the ways that children night might find themselves thinking and acting. The story is a teaching model; non-authoritarian, and anti-indoctrinating, it respects the value of inquiry and reasoning, encourages the development of alternative modes of thought and imagination, and suggests how children are able to learn from one another. Further, it sketches what it might be like to live and participate in a small in a community where children have their own interests, yet respect each other as people, and are capable at times of engaging in cooperative inquiry for no other reason than the satisfaction of doing so.

Excerpt

[Harry] made a bee-line for the kitchen, but when he got there he found his mother standing in front of the refrigerator, talking to her neighbor, Mrs. Olson. Harry didn't want to interrupt, so he stood there for a moment, listening to the conversation.

Mrs. Olson was saying, "Let me tell you something, Mrs. Stottlemeier. That Mrs. Bates, who just joined the PTA, all she ever talks about is helping the poor. Well, I believe in that too, of course, but then I keep thinking how all those Communists keep saying that we ought to help the poor, and that makes me wonder whether Mrs. Bate is, well, you know ....”

"Whether Mrs. Bates is a Communist?" Harry's mother asked politely. Mrs. Olson nodded.

Suddenly something in Harry's mind went 'CLICK!’

"Mrs. Olson," he said, "just because, according to you, all Communists are people who say they want to help the poor, that doesn't mean that all people who say they want to help the poor are Communists."

"Harry,” said his mother, "this is none of your business, and besides, you're interrupting."

But Harry could tell by the expression on his mother's face that she was pleased with what he'd said. So he quietly got his glass of milk and sat down to drink it, feeling happier than he had felt in days.

Translations

See 1982 edition for list of translations.

Keywords

reasoning, inquiry, logic, philosophy, education

Disciplines

Aesthetics | Education | Elementary Education | Logic and Foundations of Mathematics | Philosophy

Published Reviews and Research

See 1982 edition for reviews and research.

Recommended Citation

Lipman, Matthew (1974) Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery. Montclair, NJ: Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children. (Education Resources Information Center Document 103 298, URL = https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED103298).