We believe children are born philosophers. Full of wonder, they possess a natural willingness to explore the boundaries of received wisdom and a healthy urge to question everything. At Young Philosophers of New York, our mission is to cultivate these qualities in our city’s children so that they will grow to become the thoughtful, emotionally sensitive, and imaginative people who will live and lead in the New York of tomorrow.
By fostering environments that sustain collaborative inquiry into life’s most significant questions, we encourage young people, from kindergarten through high school, to take the measure of what is just and fair, to become discerning about what is and what is not, and to be eager to know who they are and who they might yet be.
The skills our children develop through philosophy will allow them to become confident and critical thinkers who are able to articulate the reasons why they believe what they believe while remaining open to different perspectives, reasonable disagreement, and rethinking what they think they know.
Most importantly, the young philosophers we work with come to realize that the most empowering education is not to be told the right answers, but in our learning to ask of each other the right questions.
Young Philosophers of New York 