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Stohrenschule project: philosophical and pedagogical project on philosophizing with children, youth, and adults in living contexts

Named after Stohrenschule, the school from which the project takes its inspiration and where it first took place, "Stohrenschule Project" forms an integral part of the international research project "Platonism and Forms of Intelligence – Platonizam i oblici intelligencije, " directed by M.E. Zovko, Inst. of Philosophy, Zagreb. The theme of the research project: forms and functions of intelligence in the philosophical tradition of Platonism, provides not only a topic of philosophical research ; rather, the insights gained from philosophical reflection on human values, existential questions, and metaphysical and epistemological topics form the conceptual basis for a series of pedagogical, social, ecological, and cultural initiatives, as well as initiatives involving education for civil governance, intercultural dialogue and participatory democracy. "Project Stohrenschule" is one such initiative/project, consisting of 3 parts: 1) philosophical research concerning human values (virtue, goodness, beauty, happiness, justice, friendship and their opposites), existential questions such as life and death, human beings and their relationship to nature and natural environment, change and transitoriness ; as well as metaphysical and epistemological questions such as: being and essence, identity and plurality ; infinity and finitude, eternity and time, freedom and necessity, causation, personal identity, knowledge and belief, truth and criteria of truth ; 2) pedagogical activities for elementary and secondary school-aged children on the themes mentioned above, conceived and conducted according to the principles of philosophizing with children and Socratic dialogue, with the aim of encouraging a dialogically structured culture of learning ; 3) activities for parents and adults, primarily devoted to current challenges related to the task of educating and raising children and young people, but also concerning general topics related to cooperative coexistence in the family and in society as a whole, as well as human values and existential questions, with which members of the project are concerned in their research. The establishment of the project was inspired by the urgent need for active involvement of philosophical research in the resolution of pressing issues facing humanity today. For only on the basis of clearly recognized and consciously assimilated human values is it possible to discover and apply effective, long-term solutions for the urgent economic, social, political, and ecological problems facing the global community and to improve the lives of all its citizens. The process of recognizing and assimilating human values is advanced in a diversified and decisive manner by study and discourse concerning problems of intelligence as reflected upon in the philosophy of Platonism. For in order to improve "quality of life", it is necessary to concern oneself with the question "What is the good/what is good for humankind?" - one of, if not the central question of the philosophy of Plato and Platonism. Due to the fundamentally ethical orientation of this tradition of philosophy, its sustained reflection on the nature of humanity and the question "what is the good life" for human beings as individuals and as members of society, as beings who bear a measure of responsibility not only for historical events, but for the destiny of the natural world and the cosmos as a whole, study of this tradition is of invaluable worth. In order to resolve the question of quality of life, however, it is not sufficient merely to pursue theoretical investigations ; it is furthermore necessary to initiate an open, socially engaged dialogue concerning human values, aims and goals. Taking the principle of Socratic dialogue and the idea of philosophizing with children and young people as its point of departure, Project Stohrenschule addresses children, youth, students, parents, teachers and members of the larger community, in order to involve them in a sustained philosophical and pedagogical discussion concerning fundamental values. The basis for the discussion is provided by questions which are of perennial interest, both to children and to philosophers: questions concerning the origin of the universe and of life, of nature and humanity, good and evil, justice and friendship, transitoriness and death. By keeping alive and encouraging children's natural curiousity and joy of learning, a life-long attitude of questioning and reflection is encouraged and cultivated, though it may sometimes be necessary to reawaken these qualities in adults. Consideration of the role of cultivation of aesthetic reflection and taste, a healthy lifestyle, and sound judgement with respect to sense impressions and emotions, forms a central aspect of the Project's reflections and activities. To achieve the goal of cultivation of humanity and human values, the practical experience and tested judgment of individuals not only versed and successful in society's significant roles, but also able to serve as examples of responsible, reflective, courageous, and humane behaviour, are needed. Realisation of virtue and culture in today's world, however, requires not only imitation, but also critical reflection. Thus, Stohrenschule Project aims to discover and advance, together with parents and children, educators and students, conditions and criteria for achieving a new accountability of thought, feeling and emotion in education and daily coexistence.

virtue; goodness; beauty; happiness; Socratic dialogue; Plato; Kant; philosophizing with children; knowledge; intelligence; education; pedagogics; society; justice; human rights; culture; ethical principles; norms; values; social cohesion; knowledge-based society; civil governance; parents; quality of life; students

The project is ongoing, and is sponsored by the Plato Society of Zagreb, the Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb, and partner schools in Croatia. It has been the recipient of grants from the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport and from the City of Zagreb, as well as from other public and private donors.