Illogical as they may seem in this context, the characters’ responses to the Little Prince reflect real-world scenarios. Many of the answers he receives come from very ‘grown-up’ grown-ups. The Little Prince asks questions children would be likely to pose themselves in similar situations. Seeing through his innocent, yet critical, lens allows us to examine our own pre-formed notions surrounding these concepts. The Little Prince also draws from his interactions with others to validate or dismiss concepts such as friendship. Through the travels and travails of the little prince, one encounters open-ended philosophical concepts such as ‘authority,’ ‘ephemerality,’ and ‘loneliness.’ The reader is invited to contemplate opposing definitions of ownership, contrasting the concept of possession from the Little Prince’s responsibility-based ideal to the businessman’s avarice-based perspective. This grounding of the supernatural in real life will provide children with a framework to contemplate the extraordinary. The pilot’s realistic struggle with his harsh environment juxtaposed to his poignant appreciation for its natural beauty comes from first-hand experience, from which Saint-Exupéry certainly drew. The author’s personal experiences as a pilot who was once stranded in the desert lend this story a uniquely accessible element. Guidelines for Philosophical DiscussionĪntoine de Saint-Exupéry’s enduring classic The Little Prince offers a longer, more advanced story through which to engage children in philosophical discussion.
The boy recounts his space travel adventures and search for the secret of what is important in life. Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary The Little Prince introduces a variety of philosophical concepts including authority, loneliness, and ownership.Īn aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert encounters a little boy– a prince–from a small planet.
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