ABSTRACT
Some educational systems include a value transmission approach to moral education, which includes an aim to foster pupils into accepting a predetermined set of core values. Lipman, on the other hand, described P4C as an educational program that deals with the fostering of procedural values, but not substantive moral values (Lipman et al., 1980). This poses a problem for including a Philosophy for/with Children approach into teacher education, since teacher students might find it difficult to fulfil both of these conflicting aims simultaneously.
In this chapter, it is argued that Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) is indeed incompatible with value transmission. But, instead of rejecting P4wC in teacher education, it is argued that there is a way of approaching moral education that is superior to value transmission, namely a dialogic approach under which P4wC is not only possible, but a strong candidate for a reasonable way to treat moral matters in school. Hence, a potential obstacle for including P4wC in teacher education is removed, and a strong argument for its inclusion is provided.
