Misconceptions about Taking Children Seriously
Misconceptions about Taking Children Seriously
critical rationalist
“What do you mean by ‘problem’?”
A problem is something which gives rise to human thought—such as a conflict between two theories, a paradox or anomaly. It does not only refer to ‘bad problems’—conflicts between people, problems that seem to make people miserable, things we would rather avoid. Anything sparking thinking, including enormously enjoyable thinking, like when you notice something and wonder about it, following your curiosity wherever it leads, is a ‘problem’ in this wide sense.
“What is the relationship between Karl Popper’s epistemology, the ideas of David Deutsch and Taking Children Seriously?”
We really do learn from our mistakes, by trial and error. And at the same time we learn how little we know—as when, in climbing a mountain; every step upwards opens some new vista into the unknown, and new worlds unfold themselves of whose existence we knew nothing when we began our climb.
“Surely criticism is always good?”
he idea that criticism of others is always good is a mistake, just like it is a mistake to think that education is always good. It may be good if it is wanted, but not if it is unwanted. Coercive education is not and never has been Taking Children Seriously.
“What if your child wants to drive?”
If my child wanted to drive, I would find a way to teach her to drive safely and legally, such as on the private farmland of a friend.
“Is it necessary to reject authority?”
Knowledge is conjectural, and we are all fallible. When everything is open to question and we do not hold anything or anyone as an authority, we are free to correct errors that otherwise would have kept us stuck and miserable. Yay!
Taking Children Seriously: a new view of children
Taking Children Seriously is a new VIEW of children—a non-paternalistic view: children do not actually need to be controlled for their own good. An Oxford Karl Popper Society talk.
An Objectivist’s assessment of Karl Popper
An Objectivist reevaluates Karl Popper after discussions with Popperian people taking children seriously.
Unschooling and Karl Popper
Popper’s work provides an epistemological critique of the teacher-directed learning model, although it appears that Popper himself never made this connection.