Can you step in the same river twice?

The seven-year-olds sit cross-legged on the carpet scratching their chins philosophically. These bright, young pupils have been asked to consider whether it is possible to step in the same river twice. Posing philosophical questions like these encourages the children to think in a different way than the one they are used to, says Peter Worley, philosophy teacher at Eliot Bank Primary School in Forest Hill, southeast London. “In philosophy instead of working out how to do a sum, we think about what math actually is.” A recent study suggested that children’s IQs are boosted by learning philosophy at an early age. Read more about it at BBC NEWS online.