Putting different things together: The development of metaphysical thinking
Johnson, C. N. (2000)Abstract
Recent research on children's "theories" has emphasized that thinking of young children is remarkably science-like, rather than magical. Such research, however, has tended to overlook the way in which such science-like thinking may equally lay the ground for metaphysical ideas which transcend ordinary intuitions. On this account, magical and metaphysical ideas are seen to arise from efforts to explain how intuitively different kinds of things are related together. Piaget's early research is reexamined as it offers insight into the development children's metaphysical speculation as distinct from their intuitive understanding. The broad perspective on the development of metaphysical thinking is presented