Pathology of the Philosophical Foundations of the Philosophy for Children Program in Islamic Wisdom

If philosophy is to be presented in a nativized version, we initially need to explore our own Iranian-Islamic philosophy. In fact, more than everything else and before devising any native version of the Philosophy for Children Program, we need to refer to our own native philosophical principles. In other words, we need to learn about our “native philosophy of childhood”, which can function as a useful guide in gaining our purpose. Now, the question is: What is the philosophy of childhood in the view of Mulla Sadra, who is the master of all principles and elements of the Iranian-Islamic wisdom? The truth is that, although he never wrote an independent book or treatise on childhood and the training and education of children, we can infer his ideas about childhood, the development of children, and the stages of their growth based on the fundamental principles of the Transcendent Philosophy and his innovative ideas regarding the theory of knowledge and epistemology. In the light of the insights rooted in Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy, this paper aims to identify the philosophical bases of the Philosophy for Children Program and elaborate on its pathology.