PWC UNT is a project devoted to the study and implementation of philosophy with children, including a focus on its intersections with environmental philosophy and environmental ethics.

What is philosophy for/with children?

Philosophy for Children (commonly abbreviated P4C) is a program intially developed by Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp in the 1970s in order to foster critical, creative, and caring thinking skills in young students. The P4C movement has spread around the world, and its local practioners and researchers have developed their own ways of facilitaion and interpretation, while respecting the original work by Lipman and Sharp. The main practice that links most P4C practitioners is the concept of "communities of inquiry", in which, students and facilitators together use a unique style of dialogue to create questions and reflect together about some kind of intellectual stimulus (a piece of artwork, a text, or a thought experiment). The approach has been highly developed and well-received in many places. Philosophy with Children (PWC) is a response to the development of P4C, and implies that we as facilitators do not simply provide philosophy for children, but participate together with children.

Current People

Hayden Ridings

Image of phd student Haydne Ridings

 

As a PhD student in philosophy, Hayden has always enjoyed the opportunity to introduce philosophy to others. Whether that be in the classroom or causal conversation, the chance to share his passion and think about philosophy with those unfamiliar with it has motivated much of his academic career. EPWC has provided him the space to regularly exercise these skills, while giving back to his local community. It has also offered some of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of his life in witnessing these young students' intellectual development and desire to learn. 

Contact Haden: hayden.ridings@unt.edu 

Brianna Eldridge

image of brianna in front of a white board in a classroom

Brianna is third year students studying Ecology. She has been working with the EPWC program since 2025.  

Lucia Murphy

Image of Lucia reading a story book in front of a white board

Lucia is a senior at UNT double majoring in political science and geography. She has been working with the EPWC program, with Shoshana McIntosh as a mentor, since 2025, learning how to facilitate environmental philosophical inquiry and putting it into practice in one of Denton’s public elementary schools. In collaboration with her co-facilitators, Lucia has also been building an elementary curriculum based on her pedagogical research that can be implemented in classrooms. In this program, through shared readings and the discussions that followed, Lucia has developed an understanding of her own environmental morals through an ecofeminist, holistic lens. 

 

Previous People