Abstract

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a wonderful TV show for children and adults alike. Its concerns for the social and emotional development of children are well known, but perhaps what is less obvious is the way the show also encouraged children to be philosophers. It did this first by Rogers himself retaining his childlike wonder of the world, and then by encouraging children to indulge their imaginations, to think hard, and ask their questions without being shut down or silenced. Philosophy, as many philosophers recognize, comes naturally to kids, even and especially quite young ones, like those in the demographics of the Neighborhood. Children that age display a naivete about the world born of profundity, a ravenous insatiable appetite for knowledge, and a wide-ranging imagination. The Neighborhood both apprehended and appreciated these traits in children, and encouraged them to develop holistically, both affectively and cognitively.