Taking Children Seriously (TCS) is a philosophy of parenting and education whose central idea is that children are full people, so their preferences deserve the same respect as an adult's rather than being overridden for their own supposed good. Conceived by Sarah Fitz-Claridge in the late 1980s and spread through an online mailing list from the early 1990s, TCS rejects both coercive discipline and simple compromise, calling instead for parents and children to work out solutions together that both sides genuinely prefer. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Core ClaimChildren are full people, and parents and children should act creatively to find solutions rather than use coercion or compromise. 1 FAQs
How does Taking Children Seriously define coercion?
It counts double-binding and hierarchical authority as coercion and favors solutions both sides prefer.
Taking Children Seriously defines coercion broadly. Its definition lists double-binding, which means putting others in no-win situations, and using your ingenuity to actively prevent problems being solved. It also names authority, interacting hierarchically, and looking down on others. The philosophy holds that most traditional interactions between adults and young people rest on coercion, and it suggests that parents and children act creatively to find solutions without force or compromise.
Which thinkers influenced Taking Children Seriously?
Karl Popper and David Deutsch.
The philosophy is informed by the epistemology of Karl Popper and of David Deutsch, a theoretical physicist at Oxford University. Its emphasis on the free competition of ideas, whatever their source, instead of treating a parent's ideas as having authority, reflects that growth-of-knowledge outlook.
Connections
Sources
1. Taking Children Seriously (Wikipedia)
Overview, origin sentence
TCS was conceived between 1988 and 1989 by Sarah Fitz-Claridge, and later grew into an online mailing-list around 1992.
Overview, proposed solution sentence
parents and children act creatively to find solutions
View the SourceTaking Children Seriously (Wikipedia)
Lead section
Taking Children Seriously (TCS) is an exploration of parenting and educational philosophy whose central idea is that children are full people.
In Group: Alternative and Democratic Schooling Ideas, Lead
Taking Children Seriously (TCS) is an exploration of parenting and educational philosophy whose central idea is that children are full people.
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