Matthew Lipman

Who was Matthew Lipman?

Matthew Lipman is recognized as the founder of Philosophy for Children. His decision to bring philosophy to young people came from his experience as a professor at Columbia University, where he witnessed underdeveloped reasoning skills in his students. His interest was particularly on developing reasoning skills by teaching logic. The belief that children possess the ability to think abstractly from an early age, led him to the conviction that bringing logic to children's education earlier would help them to improve their reasoning skills.

In 1972 he left Columbia for Montclair State College to establish the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children where he began to take philosophy into K-12 classrooms in Montclair. That year he also published his first book specifically designed to help children practice philosophy, Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery. The IAPC continues to develop and publish curriculum, working internationally to advance and improve philosophy for children.