ABSTRACT
The word philosophy comes to people from the Greek 'philosophia' meaning 'a love of wisdom', though the term also implies a desire for knowledge and an active pursuit of meaning; and by 'love' the author means taking pleasure from activities and a firm intention to know more and seek further, deeper meanings. Socrates believed that the choices we make are largely motivated by the desire to find happiness. He felt that the wisdom of an individual depends upon the degree to which they know themselves, which in turn is linked to their ability to reason. The P4C 'movement' originated in the USA in the 1960s with the development of resources by Professor Matthew Lipman and his associates at Montclair University. Since Professor Lipman's pioneering work the P4C movement has grown considerably and become international. Various government pronouncements about children's learning reflect the aims of thinking skills/P4C programmes in schools.
