Philosophy asks big questions: Is it permissible to lie? When did time start? Where do we come from?
Children approach these questions with refreshing open-mindedness and curiosity. They raise philosophical problems at a very early age: How do you know how I feel? What is death? Is it allowed to treat bad people badly?
In dealing with these questions, they are not afraid to question themselves as well as existing authorities. They are not yet burdened by a plethora of prejudices that they have acquired throughout their lives. In their unlimited creativity they see connections and find examples that amaze adults. In short: children are excellent philosophers!
On the other hand, children can learn a lot in philosophical discussions: having your own opinion is not enough, you have to be able to justify it. They see that even adults do not always have a solution and that some questions remain unanswered, even though we would very much like to know the answer. They learn that when you think about a question, you gain something even if you don’t find a solution! They learn to discuss and argue with each other about problems on which they have different opinions. In doing so, they develop their ability to present and defend their opinions clearly and to respond to the opinions of others.
For these reasons children are an enrichment for philosophy and philosophy is an enrichment for children! The Denkdetektiv is for this reason dedicated to teaching philosophy to children.