The Research On Gareth · B. · Mathews’ View Of Children

As a pioneer in the field of children’s philosophy in the United States,Gareth B.Matthews(1929-2011)was the first person to theorize the philosophy of children.Through the reading and analysis of relevant literature at home and abroad,I find that most researchers focus on his philosophical thoughts on children,and there is a lack of discussion on his view of children.However,his understanding of children from the perspective of philosophy overturns the traditional concept that children are "little adults" and children are ignorant,and provides a new perspective for the current understanding of children.His children’s philosophy trilogy vividly presents this core concept.Therefore,this paper presents a specific study of Matthews’ view of children by using the literature research method and textual analysis.The first part is the introduction,which introduces the research background,significance,current situation,research content and methods of Mathews’ view of children.Through the review of relevant literature,we can understand the research trends of his views on children,analyze the shortcomings of current research,and find a suitable entry point for this paper.The second part elucidates the intellectual history of the formation of Matthews’ view of children.Matthews initially studied classical philosophy,arguing that on the one hand philosophy originates from confusion,and children are born with a sense of wonder.On the other hand,philosophy is often a kind of play,and play is the most important part of children’s daily life,which naturally connects children to philosophy.In the process of doing philosophy with children himself,he began the study of the philosophy of childhood,which then led to the expectation that there would be a place for the philosophy of childhood in the future system of disciplines,in order to develop and spread his new view of children.The third part is based on the study of the ideological process of the formation of Mathews’ view of children and the text interpretation of his "philosophy of children trilogy".From my point of view,the core essence of Matthews’ view of children can be summarized in the following five points: children are children,children are born philosophers,children are teachers of adults,children are truly moral actors,and children are rational actors.His view of children presents the characteristics of taking children as the basic position and children’s spiritual growth as the ultimate goal,and provides people with a theoretical basis to oppose the concept of children’s defects,illustrates the importance of children’s natural growth and promotes adults’ understanding and recognition of children as meaningful beings.The fourth part,aiming at the connotation and characteristics of Mathews’ view of children,discusses its influence and enlightenment to the education in the new era.Whether it is the recognition of Mathews that children are children,a special existence,or the assertion that children are born philosophers,all call for child-based education in the new era,respect for children’s philosophical nature,carry forward their inherent moral behavior,protect children’s due rights,and give full play to children’s rational ability.At the same time,educators should also learn from children to promote the liberation and growth of both adults and children.