The Philosophy of Wonder: Creating ‘ah-ha’ moments when thinking with others

When Plato introduced the learner’s paradox in the Meno, he focused on the problem of motivation: why bother to search for what is unknown, since, when we find it, we won’t know what we’ve found? Socrates’ challenge was to show Meno that passing the time in intellectual pursuits wasn’t futile, that the risk of getting lost in one’s ignorance was worth the possible gain of uncovering latent knowledge in the pursuit of wisdom and virtue.

Today, the educator has a different yet similar challenge – how to motivate the student to become deeply curious about an intellectual problem even though a more succinct and immediate answer is available at the fingertip of a button. The trend in education these days is to compete with the alluring and addictive pull of technology with even more technology, to keep student attention on the question at hand, by placing it on their phone or tablet. Yet there is a method available to us that is wholly inclusive, engaging, interactive, and community building – that makes teaching and learning seem effortless and joyful, without the need for a screen.

Welcome to the wonderful world of p4cHI (philosophy for children, Hawai’ian style). Learn practices in gently Socratic inquiry (stimulus, community, inquiry & little ‘p’ philosophy) that cultivate a community of learners. By example, see how to direct a classroom space that fosters a newfound curiosity for the content in relation to oneself, each other, and the world.

When:
February 24th, 2026

Where:
Classroom 1

Time:
11:45 am to 12:30pm

For more information, please email us at [email protected]