I
Know the Moon is a story about perception and the search for what is
true. Each of the creatures in the book believe he alone knows the moon.
When their arguments lead nowhere, the night creatures turn to the Man
of Science. Surely he will be able to settle their dispute. However,
the man of science knows the moon only through books. His moon is nothing
like theirs. All of the animals still believe that their perception of
the moon is correct. In the end they all look at the moon silently together.
This book was not written specifically to teach children philosophy, however
it has many philosophical ideas hidden within it. There are specifically at least
three strains of questions:
Is there only one truth? The aim of these questions is to get the children
to think about whether there is only one right answer for questions in the world.
Children naturally ask questions all of the time, but do they necessarily expect
that there is only one true answer? These questions aid the children to start
questioning the idea of truth. There is often only one "right" answer within
the traditional classroom, however there are a lot of questions in this world
that don't seem to have only one answer. These questions may also bring discussion
about how we can arrive at truth. Also, whether it is all right to agree to disagree.
Can everyone have their own perception of an idea that is true to them? Can truth
be relative? These questions are basically aimed at getting the children to question
the concept that there might not always be a "right" answer for questions about
the world.
How do you know what you know? These questions are geared to question how
we acquire knowledge. Are you born knowing things? Do you learn from other things
or from just being? When you "learn" things, is it possible that you already
knew them and it just took something to awaken them in you? These are questions
that children may already wonder about. They are told that they should go to
school to learn, but the idea of knowledge itself is often not addressed. Adults
question the idea of knowledge all of the time. It just makes sense to ask children
what they think because they are starting their many years of education. Education
is known as the quest for knowledge, so children should be able to question what
knowledge is and how we know things. These questions are aimed to let children
explore the idea of knowledge as well as the ways it may be acquired, if indeed
it is acquired.
Can words express everything? These questions ask children what words are
and whether words can express everything in the world. Children as well as adults
will often feel that they can not find words to express what they mean. Does
this mean that their vocabulary just is not large enough? Could it be that we
just can not express everything through words? Do words shape what we can communicate?
Can we learn everything there is to know by reading words? Are there some things
that may only be learned through experience? Can some things only be felt and
not expressed? These questions also bring up the idea of other forms of communication
that are outside of word usage, such as dance or physical contact (hugs and kisses).
Ultimately, these questions are geared to ask whether words can sufficiently
express what we feel and know. Is it possible that we would have different thoughts
if we spoke a different language because the words within that language are different?
These questions allow children to think about the words they speak every day,
and how they allow them to communicate.
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