Conclusions: Philosophy for children in Confucian societies

This study showed that the localization of Philosophy for Children (P4C) in four modern Confucian societies in East Asia, viz. China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, has gone through different development stages but addressed similar pedagogical challenges. Although it is arguable that such pedagogical challenges as the constraints of time, curriculum, and relationship can be attributed to Confucianism, this does not mean that P4C is not feasible in Confucian contexts. Apart from the fact that Confucian dialogue can be shown theoretically to serve as a cultural, intellectual, and practical foundation for the development of P4C in Confucian societies, empirical evidence has suggested that P4C is practically feasible in both Chinese and Japanese contexts. With regard to the implications carried by this study for the theory and practice of P4C, the most important one is that it is theoretically and practically feasible and valuable to implement P4C in Confucian societies. Copyright © 2020 selection and editorial matter, Chi-Ming Lam; individual chapters, the contributors.