Nasty, Brutish, and Short - Adventures in Philosophy
Wisdom NOTES | A Conversation with Scott Hershovitz
Welcome to Wisdom NOTES: A short transcript summary capturing insights from my conversations on In Search of Wisdom. This edition comes from my interview with Scott Hershovitz, the author of Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids.
Nasty, Brutish, and Short
Why are kids good philosophers? How should we explore some of the perennial questions? What are some practical strategies to help cultivate curiosity? These are a few questions I posed to my recent guest Scott Hershovitz. Scott is the Thomas G. and Mabel Long Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. As you’ll hear in the episode, Scott has a deep passion for philosophy.
Why are kids good philosophers?
Hershovitz: I think there are two reasons kids make good philosophers. The first is they're just new to the world. And they're constantly confused by it. So they're asking questions, and they're questioning everything. Like they don't yet know what the standard explanations of things are. They don't know what adults take for granted. So I think just like being in the world perplexed by something, it helps them see what's puzzling. And the second reason I think they make good philosophers is that they're not afraid of sounding silly. When they ask questions, they're not afraid of getting things wrong when they try to answer questions, silly, as I like to say, is kind of the business that kids are in. So, they are just willing to put their ideas out there and make arguments. And I think both of those things give them advantages over many adults: they're eager to ask questions and try ideas out. […]
How do we explore the perennial questions?
Hershovitz: Yes, this is a really great question. I was having a conversation several weeks ago with a friend who is more religious than I am. And he talks to his kids about all sorts of things. But he kind of puts challenging the existence of God beyond where he's willing to go in a conversation. And I understand why it feels that way to him. But I think, as you said, you had these questions when you were young. And I think every kid has questions when they're young. And I think it's worth communicating to your kids that there's nothing that we can think about and that we can entertain. And that we can't question. And actually, one way I've approached it with my kids is when a big question arises. I don't want to tell them what my view is. In a way that communicates, you have to hold my view. So I start by questioning them, right, and say, “Well, what do you think? Do you think God exists?” And they often ask these questions because they've been wrestling about it. They've been thinking about it, so they already have some views. […]
How can we cultivate this natural curiosity?
Hershovitz: I think I'll give you two strategies. One is, I believe that it's really important. I mentioned earlier, sort of like tossing these questions back at your kids. But I think asking your kids questions and then questioning their answers is a really helpful way of getting them to think more deeply. Because often you get a quick answer back. And I say in the book that Americans like to say they're entitled to their opinion. That's true in the sense that nobody can beat it out of you. But it's not true in our house in a different sense, which is to say, you'll make a claim, you better be prepared to defend the claim. And my kids know I'm going to ask why you think so and push back or look for ways you might be wrong. And so I think getting kids in the habit of considering objections to their views, and making arguments in support of their views, is a way to help them develop as thinkers. The second thing for people with, especially people with young kids, your kids may spontaneously raise questions about philosophy. I think most kids do, and many adults miss them. So that's great if your kid raises these questions on their own, but you don't have to wait for them to raise philosophical questions. One of my favorite resources is a website called Teaching Children Philosophy. If you Google those words, teaching children philosophy, you'll find the website run by the Prindle institute for Ethics. […]
Thank you for reading/listening; I hope you found something useful. If you’re interested in learning more, listen to the entire conversation wherever you get your podcasts and pickup Nasty, Brutish, and Short wherever books are sold.
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Until next time, be wise and be well,
JW