Paper short abstract:

This theoretical contribution aims to propose Philosophy for Children (P4C) as an environment (community of inquiry), as a method (philosophical dialogue) and as a performance (collective deliberation), to increase communal well-being and collective actions through the education of collective capabilities, in disorientational practices.

Paper long abstract:

In a world perceived as risky and unstable, in which certainties are questioned and crises and uncertainties touch not only individual lives but also social cohesion and international human perspectives, governance, and institutions hardly try to find coherence maintaining a structure and a direction by orienting society at every level. UNESCO acknowledges a pervasive lack of belief and self-projection among students regarding the future, attributed partly to the lingering effects of an unjust past and exacerbated by the profound social isolation experienced during the post-pandemic era (Sriprakash, Nally & Myers, 2020). There is an increased need to address within the educational proposal exercises that can help students thrive in complex societies, changing times, and uncertain futures (Barreneche, Zorzi & Santi, 2023). UNESCO emphasizes the imperative to mend futures through educational initiatives fostering listening, dialogue, and reflection on students' present circumstances, thereby nurturing their prospects (Sriprakash, Nally & Myers, 2020). In education, in a time in which the right of “indecision” within a crisis seems to be lost, having time for being lost in the decision, to inhabit uncertainties, would be an opportunity (Barreneche, Santi, 2022). New models of educational systems, oriented to well-being and well-becoming (Biggeri & Santi, 2012) are needed, guided by the acknowledgment that instruction, like life, cannot always be planned, and central to these efforts is the restoration of fractured social bonds, achievable through educational interventions that cultivate collective capabilities among students. Also, a social dimension of orientation (or disorientation), against an individualistic one, should be promoted didactically, elaborating proposals that can teach how to deal community with a problem or question; addressing collectively the uncertainties of seeking for possible answer (Barreneche, Santi, 2022; Barreneche, Santi, Zorzi, 2023). Drawing from the capabilities approach pioneered by Sen (1999, 1987), collective capabilities are defined as achievements and opportunities realized within the context of community life, underscored by a process of collective action. These capabilities possess a connective character, diffusing throughout the community and conferring benefits that transcend individual attainment (Santi, Ghedin, 2024).

Educating collective capabilities, individual well-being can be transcended, and the inquiry can shift toward communal well-being, prompting the exploration of how collective spaces and actions can be forged to nurture the well-being of young people. Communal well-being, delineated as 'the entire network of social conditions enabling human individuals and groups to thrive and lead authentically human lives' (Deneulin, 2004, p. 7), assumes significance alongside the concept of well-becoming (Biggeri & Santi, 2012).

To realize this vision, educational strategies must equip students with the tools to co-create their wor(l)ds (i.e. lectures, Socratic dialogues, laboratory experiments, collaborative problem-solving), educating creative chaos, inquiring about complexity together, and improvising collectively in crises and uncertainties.

The efficacy of these methods lies not merely in their technical execution but in the profound connections also to concepts such as “activity” and “participation” promoted by the OMS in the ICF, to foster individual and social citizenship’s engagement. Also, Sen remembers that individuals are socially embedded agents, who interact with their societies and flourish fully only by participating in social affairs (Sen, 2002, pp. 79–80). Safe learning environments, characterized by open dialogue, suspension of judgment, and a focus on process and critical inquiry, allow students to confront diverse perspectives and tackle complex problems where collective meaning-making and the enactment of reflective practice are possible. Through the lens of human flourishing, these environments not only nurture individual potential but also foster a sense of interconnectedness and societal vitality (Santi, Ghedin, 2024).

This paper aims to propose Philosophy for Children as an environment (community of inquiry), as a method (philosophical dialogue), and as a performance (collective deliberation), to increase communal well-being and collective actions through the education of collective capabilities in dis-orientation practices. Matthew Lipman's Philosophy for Children (Lipman, 2004) offers a practical framework for achieving this goal, most of all because disorientation becomes a shared burden within a community of inquiry, and this becomes fundamental to deal collectively in an uncertain world. It emphasizes inquiry as a method easily trainable and implementable within educational settings. Philosophy for Children serves as a pedagogical foundation for cultivating essential capabilities such as creativity, critical thinking, and care (Nussbaum, 2011). It fosters the development of flourishing and participative communities, where collective imagination becomes a driving force for free agency.

Within communities of inquiry, students engage in connective exploration, embracing the richness of shared thinking. This collaborative approach contrasts with traditional achievement-oriented educational systems, allowing for the emergence of reparative and imaginative futures born from curiosity and uncertainty. Cultivating a habit of inquiring from childhood to youth, becomes paramount in shaping a generation capable of flourishing also in the complexities of today and tomorrow (Santi, Ghedin, 2024), of improvising collectively in uncertainties (Zorzi, Santi, 2023) and of navigating together within disorientation.