What is Engaged Philosophical Inquiry?
Engaged philosophical inquiry (EPI) is a way of facilitating a democratic and open-ended dialogue between children, youth and adults around bigger and smaller questions of life, knowledge, value, and meaning. Example questions of children are: Why does it take so long to make good friends, but so short to make enemies?, What is pure happiness?, Why am I human? Why was I born and what is my purpose in life?” The dialogue allows children to explore nuances and layers of experience, and enhances the ability to communicate across differences.
Why is EPI important?
This long established inquiry-based way of teaching may be used in all school subjects. It encourages students to read, listen, think critically, see things from multiple perspectives, and develop social responsibility. EPI stimulates critical, creative and collaborative thinking, communication skills and social-emotional competencies, and therefore aligns with the core competencies of the BC Ministry of Education’s new Curriculum and Assessment Framework.