Gareth Matthews, a pioneer in thinking, writing and teaching about philosophy and children, will present the Winslow Classics Lecture at Hamilton College on Thursday, April 20, at 4:10 p.m. in the Science Center Auditorium (G027). His lecture, titled "Plato for Kids," is free and open to the public.
Gareth Matthews, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, holds a B.A. from Franklin College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard. He has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Massachusetts and has been visiting professor at Amherst, Brown, Mt. Holyoke and Smith. Matthews has published widely in the areas of ancient and medieval philosophy and the philosophy of religion. His most recent books are Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy (1999) and Augustine (2005). His books Philosophy and the Young Child (1980), Dialogues with Children (1984) and The Philosophy of Childhood (1994) have been published in a dozen languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian. He lectures regularly in this country and abroad and has conducted philosophy discussions with elementary-school children in the U.S., China, Japan, Australia, Israel, Germany, Austria, Scotland and Norway.
Gareth Matthews notes that Socrates asks Callicles whether someone who scratches himself and enjoys it so much that he doesn't then want anything else is perfectly happy. His lecture will explore the way in which this question can set off a philosophical discussion of perfect happiness with even very young children.
Gareth Matthews, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, holds a B.A. from Franklin College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard. He has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Massachusetts and has been visiting professor at Amherst, Brown, Mt. Holyoke and Smith. Matthews has published widely in the areas of ancient and medieval philosophy and the philosophy of religion. His most recent books are Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy (1999) and Augustine (2005). His books Philosophy and the Young Child (1980), Dialogues with Children (1984) and The Philosophy of Childhood (1994) have been published in a dozen languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian. He lectures regularly in this country and abroad and has conducted philosophy discussions with elementary-school children in the U.S., China, Japan, Australia, Israel, Germany, Austria, Scotland and Norway.
Gareth Matthews notes that Socrates asks Callicles whether someone who scratches himself and enjoys it so much that he doesn't then want anything else is perfectly happy. His lecture will explore the way in which this question can set off a philosophical discussion of perfect happiness with even very young children.
