Seite - 92 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

92 REfLECTIvE COsMOPOLITANIsM possess in order to be considered a friend (trust, support, understanding, dedication, a shared sense of humor, etc…). Christian shows how important making new friends are when he points out a lucky incident that opens the possibility of having a new friend. Bearing all this in mind in relation to issues of inclusion/exclusion and cosmopoli- tanism, it is interesting to study when these characteristics are realized, what form they take, to what extent are we choosing our friends, and the extent to which a specific context can influence the type of friendships we make. For example, the type of friends we will have are not the same if we live in a small town as they will be if we live in a big city. Rather, friendships depend on the situational context; diversity in the type of friends could even be higher in the small town than in a city (since in a small town we have to choose our friends from who is available, and the social need of having friends is strong- er than the need to find those who are “similar.” However, at the same time, diversity is usually greater in cities). Does the number and quality of friends we have depend on the size of our school or town? Are friends and friendships all similar or different? Is diversity or homogeneity in friends more beneficial? How long does it take to make friends with someone? (Can friendships occur instantly, or do they develop over time)? What role does our attitude play in making friends? How do we decide whether someone has the potential to be our friend? You can find resources on the concept of “friendship” in the manual to Tina and Amir, episode 3, leading idea 4, discussion plan on “Friends-friendship”; and also in the manual to Ella, episode 7, leading idea 1 and exercise on “Friendship”; and in the manual to Chris- tian, episode 1, leading idea “Friendship/Comradeship”. Discussion Plan: Friends19 1. How many friends can a person have? 2. Are all friendships equal? 3. Do you have a best friend? 4. Is it good or bad to have a best friend? 5. Can we have more than one best friend? 6. Can we have just several real friends instead of a best friend? 7. Can people hardly ever talk and still be friends? 8. Is it possible to be friends and never meet? 9. Can we be someone’s friend without really knowing him/her? 10. Are there people who are always arguing with their friends? 11. Is it possible for two very different people to be friends? 12. Is it possible for someone to have no friends? 13. Do you trust your friends more than anybody else? (brothers/sisters/parents/ teachers/your dog) 14. Did you choose all your friends or did your friends choose you, or both? If both, can you give an example of when you choose and when you are chosen? 15. How can you form a friendship? 19 Based on the manual Looking for Meaning, LIPMAN, M. & SHARP, A. M. (1984) Looking for Meaning. Instructional Manual to Accompany PIXIE. University Press of America-IAPC. Boston), chapter I, episode 3.