The Case for More Science and Philosophy Books for Children - Facts So Romantic

If we, as a society, were serious about our children, then children's education—especially for those beginning "the age of reason"—would be our highest priority.Photograph by Sharon Mollerus / Flickr

During my career as a science and a philosopher I have written and edited, thus far, 14 books. Of these, seven are for the general public. Of those, only one (my very first one, as it turns out) was for children. The same picture emerges if one looks at the lifetime production of major science (and philosophy) popularizers, from Richard Dawkins to Stephen Jay Gould in biology, Brian Greene to Janna Levin in physics, Nigel Warburton to Rebecca Newberger Goldstein in philosophy.

You might think aiming at a youthful demographic would be more appealing. Those early years, when curiosity runs high, are intellectually formative—it's when we, my fellow educators, can hook young minds onto what philosophers call the scientific "image" of the world. Voltaire mischievously attributed to the founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola, the saying, "Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the man." Voltaire was probably worried about the Church brainwashing the next generation ("Écrasez l'Infâme!"—"crush the…
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