Philosophy for Children shows how philosophy can play a role in promoting excellence of thinking and reasoning for a complete citizenship (Lipman 1988, Lipman 1998, Sharp 1993, Sharp 1995, Daniel 1997, Gregory 2004, Kennedy 2006, McCall 2009, Millett & Tapper 2011, Kohan 2014). The goal of the project is to develop research in the field of Ethics in Philosophy for Children showing how the philosophical field greatly contributes to ethical development of citizens, and how its connection to Argumentation Theory can bring interesting theoretical outcomes to both disciplines. The pedagogical materials need to be philosophically supported in order to foster the excellence of thinking found in the philosophical discipline. More specifically the project aims to show how argumentative abilities are solidified when the integration of values and reasons is complemented by critically adding the input of emotional information and its normative force (Lipman 1995, Sharp 2007, Mendonça 2008, Murris 2012).

The team of the project will also develop high quality material for practical sessions with excellent scientific background in the field of Ethics from texts and thought experiments found throughout the history of philosophy. The material will be tested in schools to make sure that the scientific quality is mirrored in the practical application of the material developed. These sessions built upon the legacy of the history of philosophy will enable the children an introduction to philosophical reflection by promoting dialogues about ethical questions mediated by a facilitator with proper qualified training (Lipman 2009, Gregory 2011, Gorard et al. 2015).

The practical dimension proposed will stand as a way to develop more deeply the theoretical investigation proposed. Consequently, the project will show how the nature of Philosophy for Children assumes an interconnection between pedagogical methodology and its philosophical framework (Lipman 2003). In the recognition of that theoretical and practical posture it is possible to recognize that Philosophy for Children can contribute to the acquisition of a critical thinking which is ethically enlighten and moves beyond the mere cognitive critical abilities such that rationality becomes reasonableness (Prichard 1996, Gasparatou 2017, Costa-Carvalho/Mendonça 2017).