Corrupting Youth: Volume 1: History and Principles of Philosophical Enquiry (PhiE) and Volume 2: How to Facilitate Philosophical Enquiry (PhiE) by Peter Worley

Abstract

In his latest offering on the teaching of philosophy, a two-volume book titled <em>Corrupting Youth</em>, community of inquiry (CoI) practitioner, educational researcher, award winning author and co-founder of the <em>Philosophy Foundation </em>(<a href="https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/">https://www.philosophy-foundation.org</a>) Peter Worley, provides us with a comprehensive overview of his dialectical method of <em>Philosophical Enquiry</em> (or PhiE). PhiE is a deliberately ‘informal’ (Vol. 1, p. xxvii) but highly effective method of philosophising aimed at children of all ages. It is one whose underlying principles and techniques, Worley points out, can be traced to the ancient Greeks, from pre-Socratic philosophers Heraclitus and Parmenides, to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. As the originator and leading exponent of contemporary PhiE, much of what Worley details here, though on the surface familiar and commonsensical, is the product of years of experience and careful consideration. The result, coupled with Worley’s knack for masterful storytelling, is a highly engaging and accessible introduction to a dialectic-based pedagogy that has gained increasing traction in recent years.