P4C, Community of Inquiry, and Methodological Faith

Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis 33 (1):30-35 (2012)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

n this paper I venture to bring out and disclose an element of faith at the heart of the kind of critical inquiry that we encourage and foster in philosophy with children. It is clearly distinct from doubt, the kind of doubt we customarily associate with what makes critical thinking critical, but, properly understood, it grants to doubt and critical reflection essential roles in the process. What I mean by “faith” in this connection may be understood as trust and confidence in the process of thoughtful inquiry. Our coming to recognize the centrality of faith in this sense within philosophy with children may entail some changes in our thinking about where philosophy with children fits into the larger cultural movements of our time and as well about how involvement in philosophy with children bears upon the beliefs and traditions of the sub-cultural backgrounds of children who participate. I should make clear that my perspective is informed by the philosophical insights of Michael Polanyi into what he calls the tacit dimension of all kinds of knowing, even the most rigorous and formal, especially considering knowing as an ongoing process. Polanyi focuses a great deal on what he speaks of as “the fiduciary [i.e., faith] coefficient of our knowing” – indeed, of all explicit propositions we may happen to entertain or hold. He takes as his paradigm of knowing the anticipation of an approaching discovery, whether in the natural sciences or in other areas. I will also relate my discussion to the well-known controversy between W. K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief” and William James’ “The Will to Believe.” I contend that James’ most important point in that controversy has much more to do with general epistemology than philosophy of religion.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,593

External links

  • This entry has no external links. Add one.
Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

From Tacit Knowing to a Theory of Faith.Richard L. Gelwick - 2014 - Tradition and Discovery 41 (1):10-20.
A Behavioral Pedagogy For The Community Of Inquiry.Maughn Gregory - 1999 - Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis 19 (1):29-37.
Faith in doubt in the end.Robert S. Gall - 2013 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 73 (1):29-38.
Know How and Acts of Faith.Paulina Sliwa - 2018 - In Matthew A. Benton, John Hawthorne & Dani Rabinowitz (eds.), Knowledge, Belief, and God: New Insights in Religious Epistemology. Oxford University Press. pp. 246-263.
Religious Faith as Experiencing-As.John Hick - 1968 - Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 2:20-35.
Self-transformation in the Community of Inquiry.Ann Margaret Sharp - 1996 - Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 16 (1):36-47.
Faith, Belief and Fictionalism.Finlay Malcolm & Michael Scott - 2017 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 98 (S1):257-274.

Analytics

Added to PP
2018-11-03

Downloads
2 (#1,634,744)

6 months
1 (#1,040,386)

Historical graph of downloads

Sorry, there are not enough data points to plot this chart.
How can I increase my downloads?

References found in this work

Personal knowledge.Michael Polanyi - 1958 - Chicago,: University of Chicago Press.
Personal Knowledge.Michael Polanyi - 1958 - Chicago,: Routledge.
The Ethics of Belief.W. K. Clifford - 1999 - In William Kingdon Clifford (ed.), The ethics of belief and other essays. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. pp. 70-97.
Knowing and Being: Essays by Michael Polanyi.Michael Polanyi - 1969 - [Chicago]: University of Chicago Press. Edited by Marjorie Grene.
The Will to Believe.William James - 1896 - The New World 5:327--347.

View all 10 references / Add more references