This article is a conceptual co-exploration of the relationship between philosophy and childism. It draws upon a colloquium in December 2021 at the Childism Institute at Rutgers University. Nine co-authors lay out and interweave scholarly imaginations to collectively explore the concept of childism in critical philosophical depth. Through diverse entry points, the co-authors bring a wide range of theoretical perspectives to this task, some engaging the term childism explicitly in their work, others approaching it anew. The result is an extended conversation about the possibilities for deconstructing ingrained historical adultism and reconstructing social norms and structures in response to what is marginalized in the experiences of children. Our own conclusion, having initiated this dialogue, is that we have learned to think about childism with greater plurality, that is, as childisms.
The undertaking in this article is primarily to recall the basic meaning of enlightenment as a self‐active thinking movement. I show that enlightenment is not something to be taught, but rather the encouragement to think for yourself and, subsequently, to think anew; and this applies to the same degree to children and adults. I suggest a childist critique of enlightenment by addressing, first, enlightenment's overlooked adultist conception, giving, second, a brief practical insight into the children's polylogue, and, finally, re‐adjusting the understanding of enlightenment by referring to Hannah Arendt's considerations about world‐building and John Wall's thoughts about play.
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