Philosophical questions

joanlawson

Some children were asked to think of philosophical questions which they would like to discuss.
Here are some of the questions which they thought of:

1. If you had a different name, would you be a different person?

2. Do we have to be sad sometimes to be happy at other times?

3. How do you know someone is really your friend?

I thought that they were very good questions, and I would be interested to know your answers.

Joan

stickywicket

Oooh Joan, those are terrific questions and I shall ponder them and get back to you later.

Off the top of my head though:

1. Possibly, to some extent, if you particularly liked or disliked your current name. Children can be cruel to those with eg a very old-fashioned name or a foreign name. This would have a big impact.

2. I think we have to be sad in order to understand/appreciate happiness. "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?" --Kahlil Gibran

3. There are different levels of friendship. The indispensable friends are those to who we can turn at any hour of any day or night. I don't think we can expect to have many of these in a lifetime. They are usually people with whom we have shared a lot of hard times.

Phew! Back to the kitchen sink!

stickywicket

Tody wrote:

joanlawson wrote:

3. How do you know someone is really your friend?

Now that is a philosophical question, If I had a son I'd say to him - Son, it doesn't really matter whether you can tell someone is really your friend. What really matters is not be paranoid. Most probably there are people out there who will try to get to you. But really, there is no need for you to be paranoid.

There is no need to be paranoid, Tody, but there is every need to be cautious about who to trust with one's secrets. In the wrong hands these can be used as weapons against us. All the more reason to cherish the true friends.

joanlawson

Thank you for your replies, SW and Tody.

I think these are very interesting questions, and they show that children think about things on a very deep level.

Tody, you didn't think that number1 is a philosophical question, but I disagree. The word philosophy comes from the Greek root words "philo" and "sophia." The word philo means "love" and the word sophia means ''wisdom''. These words together define philosophy in the Greek language as "the love of wisdom.'' Consequently,to discuss whether you would be the same person if you had a different name is a philosophical question because you are seeking wisdom on the topic.

1. I think that your name can have quite a big effect on the way your character develops, especially if it's a very unusual one. My Dad wanted my name to be Dorothy, but was over-ruled by my Mum. I've often wondered whether I would be quite the same person if I was now called Dorothy, or even Dot.

2.I agree with you, SW, as I don't think we would really understand or appreciate happiness if we didn't sometimes feel sadness too. I like the quote you gave.

3. I think you only know that someone is a true friend when they are loyal and stand by you through thick and thin. Also,they would never betray your trust in them.

Joan