Abstract

Purpose and Introduction: The discourse on education has attained significant prominence in the modern era, and the philosophy for children has also been introduced. Matthew Lippmann is a principal theorist in this domain, having introduced a theory called "Philosophy for Children," referred to in Persian as "Fabek." In this theory, Lippmann seeks to underscore the category of cognition in literature pertaining to children. He believes that narratives ought to be evaluated and revised from this standpoint, as critical thinking is imparted to children during their formative years in this manner. Cognition is the defining trait of humanity, and the primary advancement and development of a community is predicated on intellectual thought. It is predicated on the belief that humanity can progress toward utopia and construct its perfect world. Given the critical role of cognition in human existence, enhancing intellectual capacity is essential, and the duty for this task rests with the educational systems and organizations within every culture. The primary focus of the current research is the role of literature and art in addressing this issue. This article aims to investigate the degree to which a work of Egyptian children's literature is influenced by the attributes of critical thinking. This essay endeavors to analyze the implementation of critical thinking elements in Yaqub Al-Sharouni's adaptation of a narrative from One Thousand and One Nights, namely the tale of "Abu Muhammad the Lazy," which is among the renowned stories in this collection. He altered the title of the piece to "The Laziness and the Crown of the Sultan" and modified its form and content. Nonetheless, the critical focus of this research is to address the subsequent two inquiries: What elements within the narrative of Al-Kaslan and Taj Al-Sultan facilitate the instruction of critical thinking in children? In what manner are these components utilized within the narrative?
Methodology: This study has analyzed the elements of Lippmann's theory in the narrative of Abu Muhammad Tanbol employing a descriptive and analytical approach. Data acquisition was conducted via library methodologies. An effort has been undertaken to delineate the elements of Lippmann's theory within the narrative, utilizing credible sources in critical thinking and the text itself, and to provide suitable analyses grounded in critical thinking, contingent upon the extent to which the components align with the evidence presented in the example.
Findings: The research findings indicate that nine components of Lippmann's fifteen were analyzed in the narrative of Abu Muhammad the Lazy. The initial element of the study involved inquiries connected to learning, which the author adeptly utilized at the outset of the narrative across several situations. The author emphasizes the interrelation among several fields and, in certain instances, has constructed links between disparate bodies of knowledge inside the narrative. The element of inference derived from dialogues and actions was also analyzed in the narrative, and the author endeavored to encapsulate the dialogues and actions. The author employed few phrases, resulting in minimal use of the component for elucidating terminology. The evaluation of solution incompatibility was conducted in one or two instances, and the author has accurately identified the inaccuracies in certain solutions. The author has discovered the foundational hypotheses and utilized them as the basis of his narrative. The narrative of Abu Muhammad the Lazy employs reasoning, educational elements, and analogies, particularly when general slogans are articulated.
Discussion and Conclusion: The narratives of Yaqub Al-Sharouni, akin to the majority of children's literature, exhibit characteristics such as linguistic simplicity, content clarity, structured form, and exact arrangement, which significantly impact the scope and implementation of Lippmann's critical thinking elements. This structure and form have facilitated the formation and use of Lampan's critical thinking components in a comprehensive and accurate manner. This article aims to analyze "Al-Kaslan and the Crown of the Sultan" by Yaqub Al-Sharouni, a reinterpretation of "Muhammad Kaslan" from One Thousand and One Nights, through the lens of critical thinking, particularly focusing on the reinforcement of children's social dimensions within the context of Egyptian society. Authors of children's literature The author's methodology about critical thinking and its significance in education for revising and modernizing the narrative of One Thousand and One Nights. The findings indicate that the narrative, although an adaption of classical literature, incorporates elements of critical thinking, so enhancing the child's cognitive development through the use of this theoretical framework. The story of the sloth and the Sultan's Crown, by considering successive and interesting events, posing appropriate and logical questions (the question of why the sloth became rich), establishing connections between different areas of thought (the relationship between laziness and wealth), not leaving narrative parts scattered and presenting conclusions from them, explaining ambiguities and explaining ambiguous points (explaining the character's nickname that does not match his wealth), evaluating the incorrect strategies that the characters use in some cases, justifying beliefs and decisions, even if they are strange and seemingly incorrect (such as buying a monkey), timely use of analogy and simile (comparing the sloth with kings and emperors), discovering false beliefs (not distinguishing between illness and laziness), learning to criticize and teach it (criticizing the appearance of the monkey when buying), understanding what is in the mind (justifying the reason for buying a monkey), has repeatedly and purposefully used critical thinking factors and has created a story with a high level of thoughtfulness.