Children and philosophers: The effects of philosophical questions on curiosity and critical thinking

In the complex and rapidly evolving world of the 21st century, curiosity and critical thinking skills have become more valuable day by day. This product, aimed at understanding, viewing and gaining new perspectives on people's environments, has re-emerged the knowledge of general questions and aims to examine how thinking and questioning the perspectives of this study has an impact on children. The Philosophy for Children method, introduced by Matthew Lipman, has developed over time, and this development process has led to the emergence of different perspectives, especially on how philosophical thinking can be applied between children and adults. The main purpose of the method pioneered by Lipman is to develop children's intellectual abilities and support their logical reasoning skills. This approach allows children to learn to deal with philosophical questions from an early age and develop critical thinking skills. In this context, the idea of ​​doing philosophy with children was shaped by the idea that they should become more successful and intellectually equipped individuals in their educational lives. Children begin with an innate curiosity to explore and understand the world. From an early age, they constantly ask questions to make sense of the events around them and to understand cause-effect relationships. This curiosity expands their mental capacity and also forms the basis for their intellectual development. However, over time, the education system and social norms may cause this curiosity to decrease in many children. This is where philosophical questions come into play. Philosophers also use philosophical questions to make sense of human experience. For them, questions are more important than answers. Philosophical thinking involves moving issues beyond the surface, evaluating different ideas, and questioning thoughts. This process both increases the depth of individual thought and reveals new knowledge and understanding at the social and cultural level. As philosophers ponder fundamental issues of humanity, they often discover the deep meaning behind seemingly mundane questions. The aim of this study is to understand what role philosophical questions and the method of philosophy with children play at the intersection of the thinking styles and curiosities of children and philosophers. We will examine in detail how philosophical questions shape curiosity and critical thinking.