Man wants kids to get Philosophical

Kids today have more opportunities than ever — but in addition to music, fashion, cell phones and computers, philosopher John Davis says he wants to invite them to think about …philosophy. The Kids’ Philosophy Slam is to get kids thinking about the big issues in life and give them a voice to express what they think of. Davis, who now lives in Lanesboro, Minnesota, started a national writing and debating event called the “Great American Think-Off” a few years ago. Now Davis is taking the new kids’ version on the road, with the “Stream of Thought Philosophy Tour.” He says adults think and talk about such topics all the time but don’t realize kids do too, so this contest will give them the opportunity to think and write — and for the youngest, draw pictures — about the meaning of life. Davis says each grade, kindergarten through twelfth, will have its own national winner. So for instance, he says the first-grade winner will be “the most philosophical first-grader in America” and of four high-school finalists who will debate the question in Lanesboro, Minnesota, one will be declared the most philosophical student in America. The question for the slam’s first year is: “What is the meaning of life?” The Philosophy Slam isn’t about memorizing facts, he says, it’s about getting kids to think about the big issues in life and form their own opinions. The “Stream of Thought Philosophy Tour,” featuring a silver Airstream camper, will roll into Des Moines Tuesday, October fifteenth, and Davis says schools along the way can get involved. Schools can go to the website and contact Davis to see if the tour can stop at their school. The website is www.philosophyslam.org