33 Times Children Were Incredibly Philosophical

‘Dad, you can’t fight the past’
33 Times Children Were Incredibly Philosophical

You don’t need to research schools of thought or read esoteric books to learn the basic tenets of philosophy — you just need to talk to a child. 

Redditor remembered the time her daughter learned the difference between living and non-living things. Instead of just sitting on that newfound knowledge, her daughter did what any child would, and asked a million questions about what is and isn’t alive, while offering unsolicited opinions on all of them. She determined that humans are alive, of course, as are plants, but that cars aren’t, because they move but don’t grow. She then asked about words, which one would naturally consider non-living. But the pint-sized philosopher said that since words “change and grow when we use them,” that they’re very much alive. 

One word that came to mind for the Redditor after hearing this reasoning? “Mind-blowing.”

Other Redditors have shared the profound offerings philosophical children have uttered in their presence, including one very valid question: What does the wind do when it’s not blowing?

AusCan531 . 11y ago My son was 4 or 5 and we were driving down a hill above the city at night. Не must have realized that all those lights represented other people so said Dad, there are more people in the world than you can even think about. + 22 ...
LordWartusk 11y ago My nephew was complaining about the trip down to Florida, and said he wanted to just get there. My sister responds with the old It's not about the destination, but the journey quote, and he responds: But without the destination, you'd never take the trip. 25 ...
spillingpictures 11y ago . In a McDonald's drive-thru, they asked if we wanted a girl's toy or boy's toy with the kid's meal. My niece, three and a half at the time, replied, it should just be a kid's toy. It doesn't matter if I'm a girl or a boy, I just want a toy. Proudest moment. + 154 ...
E_L 11y ago 0 One day my nephew asked me Why do people let themselves get bullied? and I respond Because the bully is stronger he then replies But being strong isn't about hurting others with your muscles, Being strong is stopping others from thinking that way. 116 ...
 11y ago e I was teaching 2 years ago. I went over to the kindergarten where a friend was a teacher to get ready for lunch. I witnessed a little girl ask a boy about a bandage covering where he got stitches, doesn't that hurt.. Yeah, but I just don't think about it. 27 ...
rory622 0 11y ago I was being introduced to my friend's daughter (5 yrs old at the time), and upon shaking her tiny hand she felt compelled to give me some advice: Never shake hands with a lobster. 29 ...
thewiseswirl 11y ago My 5 year old niece. She drops these nuggets all the time but the one that stood out was when I told her: One day you'll forget about me. You'll have your own friends... To which she said And I won't climb on top of you and you won't buy me toys....but not todayyyyyyy Girl reminded me to live in the now. 26 ...
SmaSteg 11y ago My half sister at the ripe age of 4: What if the colors / see aren't the same as the colors you see? And how would you know It's an interesting thought that I remember having at some point during childhood as well. Obviously there are some cases where it would be easy (someone who's color-blind is fairly easy to spot), but what if the green I see is slightly different from the green you see but is still green enough for us to both assume we're seeing the same color? + 286 ...
RedReina 11y ago e Upon being told she had to go bed because she was young, and I got to stay up because I was an adult Mommy, I wish I was a grown-up, but when I am a grown-up, I will wish I was a little girl.
sinbysilence 11y ago One timw my niece (3 and a halfish) asked me if I knew why she loved me this much while stretching her arms out as much as she could. When I asked her why she said something along the lines of so that it's easy for me to hug you and proceeded to hug me. 152 ...
hkschwartz76 11y ago My brother is 8 now (he's 13 years younger than me), but my dad passed away when my brother was almost one year old. My mom ended up in a relationship 4 years later. I wasn't totally thrilled so one day I asked my little brother what he thought of him. Не said, When dad when to heaven he told Matt to come to be our new dad. Не must like Matt. Hey made me feel better. 252 ...
KellyLoyGilbert . 11y ago - You don't know what I'm feeling inside. A five-year- old boy to his mother as they were walking around Golden Gate Park. 98 ...
poopypants101 11y ago I remember talking to my mom in a car ride explaining how life is no more than a game, the line that stuck out to her was, In video games your goal is to be the hero, or the best. So why don't people do that in real life? + 592 ...
X-Mom 11y ago . My brother has a history of dating crazy women. Не was just coming out of yet another relationship with a batshit crazy woman and my husband and I were discussing it in front of my 4 year old son. Не wisely stated Sometimes if they are really pretty, you can't tell they are crazy. 89 ...
brooklynel . 11y ago e I was explaining to my 9 year old sister about college, and university what people generally do after school. And she looked at me for a moment and just said 'I don't want to live like that, like a robot'. 40 ...
cqxray 11y ago I was driving into what looked to be a fairly crowded parking lot with my 10-year-old son, so I parked in the first open spot that I saw. This was a little bit of a walk to the building. As we got near the building, I saw one or two open spaces, and I said to my son: Oh, I should have parked here. My son turned to me and said: Dad, you can't fight the past. 15 ...
robikini 11y ago I Walked into a home visit where the 6 year old had a tornado of a tantrum. Broken furniture, the ceiling fan was broken, the blinds on the kitchen window was ripped. The little boy is standing there with puppy dog eyes. When asked what happened, he looked up and said in a quiet voice I had a hard time. 11 ...
 11y ago . I had a student once tell me he never knew if he had experienced happiness. What if what he felt wasn't really what happiness was? I told him that I had seen him smile, and laugh, and those genuine expressions couldn't conceal his experience. Не was a very intelligent, depressed little boy. 193 ...
_stormborn_ 11y ago . I said, E, what's wrong? She responded anything. Perfectly describes that feeling. + 203 ...
SorryForYoureLots 11y ago When my son was around 3, while sitting at the dinner table, he put his hand on my husband's shoulder and said, You are a good man. You are an angry man, but you are good. It was such a true and deep statement from a child who was still shitting in a diaper. + 473 ...
MrFerkles 11y ago I was hanging around town after a party at my friends house, waiting in line to get myself a bottle of water and a bite to eat and I saw this parent giving a small kid (4, maybe 5) some pocket money, adding the phrase Don't spend it all!. Standard parent stuff. The kid just looked at the £2 coin and said But all you can do with money is spend it. 164 ...
megustaoreos 11y ago I apparently told my grandmother, after my second sister was born when I was 4, that I felt like a cupcake without any sprinkles because nobody wants me. + 1.1K ...
throwaway92715 11y ago Was moving a family into their new house. 3 year old son follows me down to the basement and tells me we're pirates. Okay, we're playing pirates - I ask him if there is buried treasure in the basement. Не tells me Maybe there is buried treasure, but I care more about the adventure. + 384 ...
 11y ago After learning the difference between living things and non-living things, my daughter was following me around asking whether things were alive or not, and telling me her opinion on them. Cars arent alive cause they can move but they dont grow, stuff like that. Then she asked What about words? Words change and grow when we use them. Words are alive. Blew my mind. + 870 ...
everthepessimist 11y ago When my uncle was dying, my nephew said something that totally blew me away. His parents had just told him that my uncle only had a little time left to live and he looked up from playing with a toy and asked, does everyone die? Eventually, yes, his parents responded. Не looked down and said nonchalantly, well if we're all going to die why are we so afraid of it? + 1.4K ...
pehvbot 11y ago I was rock climbing and a kid and his dad walked by (it was in a publicly accessible park). The kid asked what we were doing and the dad said Rock climbing. The kid, his voice dripping with contempt, Why? The father replies For fun, you know like when you play video games. And without missing a beat the kid says Sometimes I lose at video games. + 431 ...
EgonlsGod 11y ago e What am I alive for? Existential distress is not the sort of thing you expect from a 4 year old at bath time. + 264 ...
Shrtbuspdx 11y ago My friend's kid explained The Hulk to me. She said he's a big green monster and when he needs to get things done, he turns into a scientist. Blew my mind. + 712 ...
pinkpickuptruck . 11y ago My little sister handed me a juice box as I was packing to move out and said No one is really a grown up. They just act old because they have to + 2.3K ...
retrouvailles26 9 11y ago A kid once asked me and my friend, 'What does the wind do when it's not blowing?' + 739 ...
nextstopwilloughby 11y ago e I've told this on here before, and I'm a little late to the party, but I mentioned at a get together once that the bonfire smelled like my childhood. My friend's son said to me, And now it will smell like my childhood when I grow up. I was speechless. 589 ...
pbplyr38 11y ago 00 I told a kid that he just said a made up word. All words are made up at first.. + 832 ...
white_girl 11y ago When my sister was 4 my elderly neighbor died and my mom took us to the viewing. When she asked us afterwards what we thought about it my sister said That wasn't really James. Не was gone already. Не was just like one of those chocolate bunnies we get at easter, but they are empty inside. 13 ...

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