Australian Council for Educational Research Press, 2013

Philosophy Park is a beginner’s guide to philosophy, which introduces young readers to the ideas of famous philosophers, both ancient and modern. The list includes the Ionian philosophers, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans, René Descartes, the British Empiricists, Immanuel Kant, the Utilitarians, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. There are brief notes on the philosophers and stories based on what they had to say about a key philosophical issue or problem. The book doesn’t just set out their ideas, but engages the reader in the thought of the philosophers and makes ideas that are often regarded as difficult for adults come alive for 12-year-olds.

Companion resource:

Australian Council for Educational Research, 2013

This Teacher Resource Book is designed to accompany Philosophy Park. It explains how to work with Philosophy Park and gives an outline and plan for discussion for each of each of the topics covered, as well as related activities and exercises. Topics covered include the origin of things, nature of goodness, appearance and reality, the Golden Mean, freewill and determinism, mind and body, the sources of knowledge, the basis of ethics, and language games.