Matthew Lipman

From 1954–972 Lipman was a Professor of Philosophy at the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences affiliated with Columbia University and, from 1962–1972, he served as the Chair of General Education there.

During these years he was mentored by, developed a friendship with, and devoted most of his scholarship to the metaphysical system of the American philosopher Justus Buchler.

In 1972 Lipman left Columbia for Montclair State College, where, in 1974, he co-founded the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC)[1] with Ann Margaret Sharp.

Lipman invented the genre of the curricular philosophical novel for children, beginning with Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery, which he pilot tested in Montclair and Newark schools, supported by grants from the College of Pharmacy and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Lipman wrote a series of nine philosophical novels, for elementary through high school grades, each with instructional manuals he co-wrote with Sharp and other colleagues.