Hello. When I tell people that I'm a philosopher in casual conversation,

哈囉，當我在日常生活中跟大家聊到我是哲學家時

I typically get a look.

我通常會得到特別的眼神

A look that I think is a bit of a mixture between awe and fear.

我想他們的眼神介於驚訝和害怕之間

As in, "Wow! really cool stuff, deep questions," and also,

像是在說「哇！好酷，好深奧！」但同時也表達

"Oh my God, please don't make me defend everything I think I know!"

「噢，天啊，拜託別逼我為任何我自以為知道的事情辯護！」

So philosophy is really something that –

所以哲學就像這樣

When I say I teach philosophy to kids as well as adults,

當我說我教兒童哲學，就像教大人一樣

those same people look at me like I might be crazy.

那些人看我的表情，就像是我瘋了

Philosophy is understood to be a deep, abstract, rigorous,

哲學被當作深奧、抽象、嚴謹的

difficult kind of discipline.

一門困難的學科

People don't think children are capable of doing it.

人們覺得兒童無法理解

When they look at me like I'm crazy, I think, "You're wrong.

當他們把我當瘋子看的時候，我想：你錯了

Kids are actually very natural philosophers.

孩子們其實是天生的哲學家

They ask these kinds of questions on their own."

他們能自發地提出哲學問題

And it's our job to help give them uptake on those questions.

而我們的工作，就是幫助他們理解這些提問

So what are philosophical questions?

那什麼是哲學問題呢？

Philosophers are wondering all the time from the Ancient Greeks through today,

哲學家從古希臘到現在，不停地思考

all about the nature of the universe and our place in it.

世界的本質，和我們身在其中的定位

Philosophers want to know, for instance, if we are really free.

舉例來說，哲學家想知道：我們真的自由嗎？

And what it would mean for us to say that we're free?

那我們說「我們是自由的」又代表什麼意思？

And could we both be determined and free?

我們能不能同時被規範，而又自由呢?

Most people think that's absolutely insane, impossible.

大部分的人覺得這個想法愚蠢至極，完全不可能

But a lot of philosophers believe that's the only way we can be free:

但很多哲學家卻相信，這是我們擁有自由的唯一方式：

if we are both determined and free.

我們同時被規範，卻又自由

Or, we'll ask questions about the nature of right and wrong.

又或者，我們對是非的本質抱持著疑問

We don't just want to know the answers: "What's right?" and "What's wrong?",

我們不只想知道這些問題的答案：「什麼是對的?」、「什麼是錯的?」

"What should I do?", "What should I not do?",

「我該做什麼？」、「什麼不該做？」

but the reasons behind that, and whether we are really

我們想知道的背後的原因，以及我們

justified in thinking that certain things are right and wrong.

思考事情的對錯時，立場是否合理公正

or "If the Sun's going to burn out in five billion years,

我們也想問：假如太陽在50億年內就會燃燒殆盡，

does anything really matter?"

一切還重要嗎?

How would we know if it does?

我們怎麼認定重不重要呢?

How do we make meaning in our lives knowing that we're all going to die?

知道我們都會死，那我們要如何讓生活有意義?

These are the kinds of philosophical questions.

這些都是哲學上的問題

Even, "Can you know right now that you're not dreaming?"

甚至這樣的疑問：你確定你現在並不是在做夢嗎?

We'll get you to worry about that question. (Laughter)

我們會讓你開始擔心這個問題 (笑聲)

You won't be sure right after an introduction to philosophy.

你聽完哲學導論之後，也不會找到明確的答案

So these are the kinds of questions that philosophers ask

以上就是哲學家會問的問題

like I said, I think kids ask them very naturally.

我說過，我認為孩子們能自然地提出這些問題

Adults have a much harder time asking them.

而大人比較不容易這麼提問

In part, I think, because philosophers

我認為部分原因，是因為哲學家們

examine the most fundamental assumptions that we have

想驗證一些最基本的假設條件

about our place in the universe and who we are.

像是，我們在世界上的定位、我們是誰

And it's hard to give those up,

大人很難擺脫這些假設

when we've put them in our background as adults.

當我們變成大人，已經視之為理所當然的原則

Just like Jim Copacino said earlier,

就像 Jim Copacino 之前說過的：

"Adults have to unlearn those assumptions."

「大人必須忘掉那些基本原則」

Learn to sort of be aware of what they are and then examine them really carefully,

學著去意識到它們的存在，並仔細地驗證

whereas children are fresh to the world.

然而孩子才剛來到這個世界

They are wondering about where they are

他們好奇自己在什麼地方、

and how the world works and what their place is in it.

世界如何運行？自己身在何處？

They haven't yet made those assumptions and so they're very eager and open

他們還沒形成任何定見，所以他們求知若渴、並抱持著開放的態度

to thinking philosophically about ideas.

從哲學的角度去想這些事情

So children raise these philosophical questions.

因此孩子們會提出哲學性的問題

When I've gone into classes, and I've worked with third grade

我去教書的時候，教的是小學三年級

up through twelfth grade in high school.

到高中三年級的中學生

A particular course I went to, fifth grade.

有一堂五年級學生的課很特別

I did a little intro on what philosophy is,

我簡單告訴他們什麼是哲學

because most people unfortunately have never heard of it

因為很可惜的，大多數人一直都不認識哲學

until they get to collage if they stumbled upon a class.

直到上了大學偶然選到哲學課以後才接觸到

And I asked the fifth graders, after saying something about what a philosophy question is,

就在告訴五年級學生什麼是「哲學問題」之後，我要他們

"Just take a minute and reflect, and write down philosophical questions that you ask yourself,

花點時間想想，然後把他們曾經問過自己的哲學問題寫下來

that you've raised for yourself,

你自己曾經思考過的問題

late at night when things are calm and quiet,

在深夜裡，一切事物悄然無聲的時候

or on a car trip when your damn DVD player breaks down, right,

或者正在搭巴士，而該死的DVD播放器正好壞了

and you have to actually think for a little bit,

你只好讓自己想些什麼的時候

what are the questions that you ask yourself?"

會問自己什麼問題?

And it's amazing what they come up with.

他們想到的東西讓人訝異

So this particular fifth grade class, some of the questions they asked were:

在五年級的哲學課上，他們提了一些像這樣的問題：

What are numbers? Where do they come from?

「數字是什麼？從哪裡來的？」

And how is it possible that they go on forever?

「為什麼數字沒有盡頭？」

Or they ask, "Why do people hate each other?

他們也問：「為什麼人類互相討厭？」

And why do we start wars?"

「我們為什麼要發動戰爭？」

And others ones of them ask, in a public school,

還有另一些公立學校的孩子這樣問：

"If there is a God, who created God?" (Laughter)

「如果有神的話，是誰創造祂的？」

Right? These are great philosophical questions.

沒錯！都是些很棒的哲學問題

Questions that deserve a little uptake from the adult world, right?

這些問題值得成人世界的更多重視，對吧?

We need to engage kids on the questions that they have.

我們必須讓孩子們去思考他們提出來的問題

They're trying to understand their world. And make meaning in it.

他們試著理解世界，並賦予意義

And I think, unfortunately, that in our current system,

但我認為可惜的是，在我們的現行體制裡

those questions aren't getting uptake.

那些哲學提問不被理解重視

So they don't really get uptake in the educational system,

那些問題沒被現行教育體制所重視

in part because teachers aren't really trained to deal with those kinds of questions.

有部分是因為老師們沒有受過訓練，來回答這一類問題

The answers are ambiguous: there are better and worse answers,

這些問題的答案不明確，有好壞兩面

but there's not one clear, right one.

沒有一個真正清楚的、正確的解答

You can't teach that for the test very easily.

為了考試而教哲學並不容易

We're increasingly getting funneled in that direction in education.

但我們有越來越多人湧向「為考試而教學」的教育方針

But even at home, I think, often they don't get uptake.

即使在家裡，我認為那些提問也通常不受重視

Because parents, many of us, haven't fully thought these questions through

因為家長們，我們之中有很多人，還沒完全地想清楚這些問題

and informed our own answers, or figured out whether or not

並且給出一個答案，或者還沒搞清楚

we're justified in what we tend to think might be right about those questions.

我們對那些問題的想法是否公正

We're a little embarrassed by that when our kids call us on it.

所以當孩子們求助我們，我們就尷尬了

And so we fumble, right, and maybe we put it off a little bit

我們措手不及，是吧，也許拖延一下

and we don't actually address them.

我們沒有真的去面對孩子們的提問

And the result is that kids think these are questions that don't matter.

結果讓孩子們以為那些問題不重要

But they do matter. Right?

但其實很重要，是吧?

They matter for our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

對於了解我們自己、我們在世界上的定位來說很重要

so in a word that i'm doing, we're trying to get philosophy into schools

總而言之，我們試著要把哲學帶進學校

as a way to excite kids about their learning

用來激勵孩子們的學習

and to give meaning to these questions that they are already raising.

對他們已經提出的這些哲學問題，賦予意義

So, how do we do that?

那要怎麼做呢?

We don't take Kant, and Descartes, Hegel and Heidegger and say, "Read this."

不是拿康德、笛卡爾、黑格爾和海德格爾給他們，然後說：「讀吧，

Now let's do some reading comprehension, and see what you think.

來做點閱讀測驗，看看你們有什麼想法！」

No, of course, they would hate philosophy, rightfully so, probably, at that age.

當然不！這樣一來，這年紀的小孩可能會立刻討厭哲學

Instead we go in with the classic techniques from the history of philosophy.

我們採用傳統方法，用哲學史上的方法

So what are philosophers known for? Thought experiments.

哲學家最為人所知的是什麼? 思想實驗

And the beautiful thing about thought experiments is they don't take any lab space.

思想實驗最棒地方的就是不需要實驗室

We don't need beakers or chemicals, there's no safety training.

我們不需要燒杯和化學藥品，也沒有安全訓練

It's this.

只有這個

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

You have to think really carefully about some hypothetical.

你必須認真地想一些假設性問題

So, a famous one from Ancient Greek philosophy is The Ring of Gyges.

有個希臘哲學家提出這個很有名的問題「蓋吉斯的戒指」

Imagine that you find a ring, and if you twist that ring,

想像你找到一只戒指，如果轉動戒指

it makes you invisible.

你就隱形了

What would you do with that ring?

那你會怎麼利用這只戒指?

We give them a little time to explore that.

給孩子們一點時間想想

Why would you do that with that ring?

為什麼有戒指，你才去做那件事?

And you can imagine the things that they are saying.

你能想像他們說了什麼

Why and then once we figure out why they would do...

當瞭解了他們的動機

Why do you not do those things when you don't have the ring?

那為什麼沒有那只戒指，你就不做那些事?

What stops you?

什麼阻止了你?

So a lot of them want to do things that are strictly speaking wrong, immoral.

很多人想做的事情，嚴格說起來都是壞的，不道德的

Or at least funny and inappropriate.

或很奇怪，不恰當的

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

You know, they want to spy on people. that kind of things

你知道，他們想去監視別人之類的

So why do you not do that?

那為什麼不能這麼做?

What makes those kinds of things wrong?

錯在哪裡?

And initially some kids will think what makes it wrong

一開始有些孩子們會認為

" what makes it wrong is that we get punished for it."

「是因為我們做了那些事情就會被處罰」

But then we can help them, through the process of discussion,

但現在我們可以透過討論，幫助他們瞭解

to come to see that we punish those things because they are wrong.

讓孩子們知道他們被處罰，是因為那件事情本身是錯的

They are not wrong because they are punished.

並不是錯在因為做了那些事情會被處罰

We have to get the arrow going in the right direction,

我們必須把事情引導至對的方向

and we can build these really interesting, deep conversations with kids,

能和孩子進行這樣有趣、有深度的對話

based on maybe thought experiments that we start with,

看似是因為我們開啟了思想實驗

but they are really coming from the kids' own questions that they're raising.

但其實是以孩子們自己提出的問題為基礎

Or we'll use philosophical puzzles.

我們也會用哲學謎題來討論

The ship of Theseus is another famous example from Ancient Philosophy.

希修斯之船是另一個從古代流傳下來的著名例子

Imagine you have a boat.

想像你有一艘船

Over the course of time, maybe five years,

經過一段時間，大概用五年左右的時間

you actually replace every single board or every single part of the boat.

你替換掉每一塊船板，或船的每一個部位零件

At the end of that process, do you still have the same boat?

到了最後，你擁有的船還是同一艘嗎?

Well, some people's intuition says, "Yeah, it's the same boat."

有些人憑直覺地說：「是啊，是同一艘船」

If you think it is the same boat – Why?

如果你覺得是同一艘船，原因是什麼？

What remains the same through that process of change over time?

隨著時間變化的過程中，什麼是不變的？

Right? And if you think it's not the same boat,

那如果你認為不是同一艘船

well, now, tell me, when did it not become the same boat?

那告訴我，在什麼時候開始變成另一艘船？

At what point in this process of change would you have said,

在這變化過程中的那個時間點，你會說：

"Ah, no, you have a new boat." Right?

「啊，你有一艘新船了」

And then starting with the boat,

因此，從一艘船的討論開始

we can translate that into a discussion about personal identity, human identity.

變成對於個人身分、人類身分認同的討論

We're creatures who change over time. Right?

我們是隨著時間改變的物種

Are we really the same as our earlier selves?

我們和以前的自己真的是同一個人嗎？

Will we be the same as our future selves?

我們和未來的自己會是同一個人嗎？

And what allows us to make that kind of claim?

是什麼讓我們如此主張?

Either remains the same,

要維持不變

or how do you retain an identity over all of this change?

或者，我們要如何在改變之後，還保有同一個身分？

And the kids love doing this kind of work.

孩子們喜歡討論這些

They are really interested and invested in these questions.

他們感興趣，而且沉浸在這些問題裡

We'll also use just great children's literature.

我們也會用偉大的兒童文學來討論

The best children's literature has deep philosophical questions in it.

好的兒童文學作品裡有很深遠的哲學性問題

So we'll use even simple things

所以我們用簡單的事物

like Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad Adventures."

像是艾諾．洛貝爾所創作的「青蛙和蟾蜍的冒險」

If you're a parent, you'll know those well.

如果你們是家長的話，應該很了解這系列

We'll talk about bravery.

我們會談勇敢

Frog and Toad run away from a lot of things,

青蛙和蟾蜍遇到很多事情，一直逃跑

all the time saying, "We're very brave."

一邊說：「哇，我們很勇敢」

"Look at us run away from the snake, but we're being very brave."

「我們從蛇的身邊逃走了，但我們真的很勇敢」

So we have an interesting discussion with the kids.

所以我們和孩子們進行一場有趣的討論

What is bravery? What is the nature of that thing?

勇敢是什麼？勇敢的本質是什麼？

And can it be in tandem with really being afraid?

勇敢可以和害怕同時發生嗎？

Is it standing up in the face of your own fear and doing something?

是不是面對自己的恐懼，並有實際作為的時候，勇敢才成立?

So we develop these really interesting discussions

所以我們繼續這樣有趣的討論

out of literature, out of puzzles, out of thought experiments,

從文學、解謎遊戲、思想實驗

and we have various philosophical games that we use.

我們也運用各式各樣哲學的遊戲

What we are aiming at is really threefold.

我們的目標其實有三個面向

We want to enhance their cognitive skills. Critical thinking, right?

我們想強化他們的認知能力，批判性思考能力

They are going to learn to build an argument,

他們會學著建立一個想法

They are gonna learn to evaluate an argument using logic,

用邏輯來衡量某個想法

They are gonna learn to respond to objections to their position.

他們會學著回應和自己立場相反的意見

Those are good skills that are going to do well for them

這些優秀的能力對孩子們有很大的幫助

in other kinds of endeavors as well.

對孩子們的其它的學習活動也有幫助

We want them to think creatively.

我們希望孩子們的思考有創造力

Come up with a counterexample!

來談談舉反例

Your friend just made this claim,

你的朋友剛剛提出一個主張

can you imagine a counterexample, or a different alternative?

你可以想到相反的例子嗎，或者提出不同的替代方案?

Say what it is and show how it meets that person's claim.

說說看，告訴我們你的點子如何符合那位朋友的主張

We'll also talk about behavioral skills.

我們也會談到行為技巧

How can you converse with your peers?

你怎麼和同儕對話?

Listen to them carefully, take them seriously,

仔細地傾聽，認真地對待他們

and disagree with them without fighting

在不爭吵的情況下表達不同意見

or feeling hurt by the disagreement.

不會因為意見不合而難過

One of the greatest things is you'll get best friends saying,

最棒的是你有個好朋友會說：

"I never realized I could really disagree with him about something

「我從來不知道，我們會在我們都看重的事情上意見相左

that we both think matters, but it's OK, we've figure that out."

但沒有關係，我們能夠一起討論出解決方法。」

And then finally, in addition to the cognitive skills

最後一項，除了認知能力

and the behavioral ones, philosophical awareness skills.

和行為技巧之外，就是哲學的認知能力

Knowing what a philosophical question is, and knowing that they can answer them.

知道什麼是哲學性的問題，並知道自己有能力回答

They can work through the difficult questions,

他們能解決困難的問題

and try to figure something out for themselves.

並試著從中得到一些東西

I think this is really empowering for them.

我相信這樣可以振奮孩子們

And what we've found, not only in our own work,

而我們從中得到的，不只是我們工作

where kids really enjoy it, and love it,

能讓孩子們玩得開心、而且喜歡

but in work done around the world,

還包括世界各地的教育成果

with little pockets of philosophy for children,

只要一點一滴的將哲學教給孩子們

is that they do better on some of the standardized tests

他們在一些標準化的考試上，就能表現得更好

that we have for critical thinking, for language and literacy,

例如在批判性思考、語言和識字率的表現以外

for other sorts of things that we are already broadly valuing.

在其它大眾都認同的領域，也有好的表現

And perhaps even more importantly, the students really love it.

但更重要的是，學生們喜愛這堂課

They are excited by it, it reinvigorates their love of learning,

他們很興奮，這堂課再度激起他們對學習的熱愛

they realise now that these questions matter

他們瞭解這些問題的重要性

and that it can be beneficial for them in answering them with their peers.

而且能幫助他們回應同儕之間的問題