 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Taking Children Seriously (TCS) is an exploration ofparenting andeducational philosophy whose central idea is that children are full people.[1]
TCS was conceived between 1988 and 1989 bySarah Fitz-Claridge,[2] and later grew into an online mailing-list around 1992.[3]
TCS begins with the observation that most traditional interactions between adults and youth are based oncoercion. Instead of viewing some sources of ideas – such as parents’ ideas – as having authority, Taking Children Seriously takes the growth of knowledge seriously, which means free competition of the ideas irrespective of source.
The TCS model ofparenting andeducation views coercion as infringing on the will of the child, and also rejects parental or educator "self-sacrifice" as infringing on the will of the adult. TCS defines coercion as: "double-binding – putting others in no-win situations – using your ingenuity to actively prevent problems being solved. Authority. Interacting hierarchically. Looking down on."[4] TCS advocates that parents and children act creatively to find solutions without force or compromise.[5][6]
The TCS philosophy is informed by theepistemology ofKarl Popper andDavid Deutsch, a theoreticalphysicist atOxford University.[7]
