infant inquiry: discordances between the explicative order and the affirmation of life

Abstract

This work emerges from an interdisciplinary dialogue between the authors of two PhD theses—one in Education and one in Philosophy—both sharing an interest in fostering free and democratic thinking within the Latin American public school system. Grounded in the critical perspective inherent to Latin American philosophy of education, we conducted an epistemological analysis of the various approaches to inquiry taken within philosophy sessions for children. Our focus is on a specific community of inquiry experience conducted in 2022 in the southern region of the province of Mendoza, Argentina. We interweave theoretical frameworks from Walter Kohan, Paulo Freire, and Jacques Rancière to illuminate the diverse modes of knowledge cultivation within this community of inquiry.We introduce two key problematic constructs: the explicative and stultifying order, drawing from Rancière's insights, and inquiry as an affirmation of life, influenced by the perspectives of Kohan and Freire. Our examination revolves around discordances concerning the dynamics and influence of inquiry within both school settings and public education at large. Ultimately, we propose a synthesis of these complexities through the concept of "infant inquiry" as an emancipatory epistemic force. This notion entails fostering intimacy with others, with objects, and with the world at large, emanating from a foundation of radical political and intellectual equality.