The Philosopher's Zone - The Philosophical Baby - Alison Gopnik

Very cool - Dr. Gopnik is a rockstar of early childhood development. She is interviewed here by Alan Saunders, the host of The Philosopher's Zone - another excellent podcast from ABC Radio National (Australia).

One area where I disagree with Gopnik - children may be more conscious than adults, by which she means that they have more direct, unfiltered experience of "reality." However, that does NOT mean they are in any kind of intellectual position to do anything with it, aside from possibly being overwhelmed.

The Philosophical Baby - Alison Gopnik

Listen Now - 2011-01-29 |Download Audio - 29012011

Given that we all begin our lives as children, it is perhaps surprising that philosophy has paid such little attention, relatively speaking, to childhood. This week, we meet the American philosopher and psychologist Alison Gopnik, who argues that in some ways young children are actually smarter, more imaginative, more caring and even more conscious than adults are.

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Transcript available Monday 31 January

Guests

Alison Gopnik
Professor of Psychology
and affiliate Professor of Philosophy
University of California, Berkeley
United States

Further Information

Alison Gopnik - homepage

Publications

Title: The Philosophical Baby - What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life
Author: Alison Gopnik
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2009)

Presenter

Alan Saunders

Tags: The Philosopher's Zone, The Philosophical Baby, Alison Gopnik, Alan Saunders, Psychology, children, development, brain, infants, philosophy, consciousness, reality