The children’s polylogue – doing philosophy with children in intercultural encounters

Abstract

In my paper I’d like to connect intercultural philosophy with doing philosophy with children. In 2016 I initiated the children’s polylogue. This is to say, I was mediating a philosophical exchange between elementary school children from Wuppertal, Germany, and elementary school children from Honolulu, Hawai’i. It was a great experience and success for all participants included. Building on these experiences, in 2019 I had the opportunity to continue this project between elementary school children from Wuppertal and elementary school children from Tenei Village, in the Fukushima region of Japan. Again it was a very touching experience for us all. The idea for the children’s polylogue has grown up from my polylogical-intercultural orientation in philosophy. Trained as an intercultural philosopher, I am actively engaged in doing philosophy with children. Becoming more and more aware of the existing multiplicity of local children’s philosophical activities, I was wondering how these children also could become aware of each other. So, what I will try to do in my paper is, by referring to my practical experiences, to reflect about some basic intercultural philosophical topics – in concrete: the topics of place, space and world – and connect these with reflections about some basic topics connected with doing philosophy with children, like e.g. the meaning of play. What I am finally concerned with is our creative human potential in our inter-active world-building process to make the world more humane. We (adults) have to begin with self-reflection and self-trans­formation to come into true relationship with children. The same is true for building true relationship with human beings from other parts of the world.