| MARIETTA MCCARTY : The concept of God, the idea of God and all religious beliefs are respected. So I begin by asking them the question, 'When you hear the word 'God,' what comes into your mind?' Children are very good at doing this exploration of the concept of God without looking at or staying with traditional beliefs and values, the concept of perfection and what it might mean to be complete and whole. 玛丽埃塔·马克卡迪：神的概念，神的思想以及所有的宗教信仰都应得到尊重。所以，我先问他们这样的问题，“当你听到‘神'这个词时，你会想些什么？” 在无需考虑传统信仰和价值观的情况下，孩子们总是很善于做有关“神”的概念的探讨，以及像完美的观念，什么东西意味着完整和完全的问题的探讨。 And so what it does is encourage children to open their minds. And children know there are religious wars and they don't understand it because it's the most magnificent thought they can hold. Why would people fight about this? 所以这种方式的确是鼓励孩子们开放他们的思维。孩子们知道有宗教战争，但他们无法理解这种行为，因为这是他们能够持有的最深奥的想法了。人们为什么会因为宗教而战争呢？ McCarty says teachers can introduce philosophy to their young students either by weaving it into the curriculum or starting philosophy clubs. 马克卡迪认为，教师可以通过把哲学编入课程或者创办哲学俱乐部的方式向他们年轻的学生介绍哲学。 "We have a club in the afternoon," 4th grade teacher Andra Skeen, sponsor in an after-school club at Burnley Moran Elementary in Charlottesville, Virginia. She often invites Marietta McCarty to drop by. “下午我们有一个俱乐部”，四年级的老师安彻·斯京说。她是弗吉尼亚州 夏落茨维尔市 布尼奥兰小学的一个课后俱乐部的主办人。她经常邀请玛丽埃塔·马克卡迪来访问她的俱乐部。 ANDRA SKEEN : Marietta comes at least once a month. We talk about philosophical issues. It's also a community service club. 安彻·斯京：玛丽埃塔一个月至少来一次。我们讨论哲学上的问题。我们的俱乐部也是个社团服务俱乐部。 The community service activity, Skeen says, is the practical side of philosophical concepts. After her 9-year-old club members reflected on compassion, they put it into action, by cleaning up their school's playground and visiting some neighbors. 斯京说这个社团服务活动是哲学概念的实用操作。在她的那些九岁的俱乐部成员反省了他们的同情心之后，他们就通过打扫学校操场，走访邻居的方式来将这种反省付诸行动。 ANDRA SKEEN : We've taken several trips to a nursing home that's within walking distance from the school. It just really makes them step outside their own shell, bringing joy to people who don't have a lot of joy in their lives. It's really bringing a new way of thinking and feeling, I think, to them. 安彻·斯京：我们去过几趟养老院了，从学校步行就可以走到那里。这是真正的让孩子们破壳而出，给那些在他们生活中没有太多快乐可言的人们带去欢乐。我想这种经历给孩子们带来了一种新的思维方式和感受。 Skeen says that's just one way studying philosophy can improve children's lives. 斯京还说，这只是通过学习哲学来改善孩子们生活的一种方式。 ANDRA SKEEN : We live in such a rat-race kind of world that things maybe are not slowing down enough for any of us to sit and talk about these things. I think actually talking about philosophy and philosophical ideas and opening themselves up and realizing that there's a whole lot more than just me out there. 安彻·斯京：我们生活在一个竞争如此激烈的世界里，事物也许都不会放慢脚步来让我们都能坐下来谈论它们。我想谈论的是哲学，哲学理念，释放自我，并意识到在自我之外还有许许多多的事物。 I think starting that at a very young age makes them much more aware of what's going on in the world, much more aware of what's going on even in their community. 我觉得从小就开始哲学思考会让孩子们更加了解这个世界正在发生什么，更加了解他们所生活的社区正在发生什么。 Philosophy advocate Marietta McCarty agrees, and says she hopes more schools will bring philosophy to their young students. She says it is not merely a tool for understanding the world, but for changing it as well. 哲学倡导者玛丽埃塔·马克卡迪同意这个观点，她希望更多的学校将哲学带给他们那些年轻的学生。她表示哲学不仅仅是一种了解世界的工具，同样也能用来改变世界。 |
