Though a ceasefire was eventually negotiated, tensions between both sides remain. One scene in Young Plato makes this clear. The children are all lined up after what seems like a routine fire drill. In reality, the alarm was due to the presence of an explosive device on school grounds. This makes clear why McAverey is so adamant about using Philosophy — especially Stoic Philosophy — as a way of taming emotion. McAverey not only has to deal with boys who are susceptible to the fury inherent to the playground but a larger social volatility capable of destroying a very fragile peace.
“…compelling…”
There is much in education that gets touted as “innovation.” Unfortunately, much of it is anything but. However, what McAverey has hit upon does seem to have some value. His introduction of Philosophy to children at such a young age is intriguing and seems to make sense. Philosophy is fueled by curiosity centered around big questions. Children ask many of these questions. Of all the philosophers that McAverey touches upon, the Ancient Greek Philosopher Heraclitus may be the most relevant. For Heraclitus, existence was never static; it was always in the process of change. Heraclitus looked at the world less in terms of fixed Being and more in terms of the flux of Becoming. Children are the perfect examples of Becoming. A child is perpetually in a state of becoming a teenager, a future adult, or maybe even a future Philosopher.
Ní Chianáin and McGrath excel in putting the school and its staff within the larger context of Northern Ireland’s recent bloody history. The filmmakers and co-writer Etienne Essery wisely build Young Plato around McAverey. He is a compelling character, driven by vocation and caring for his community. In fact, one wishes that the directors would have devoted more time to his past, how he came to be interested in Philosophy, and how he came to harness it as a tool useful in conflict resolution. Even still, McAverey and his staff’s love for the children comes through clearly.
"…McAverey and his staff's love for the children comes through clearly."
