{"id":197034,"date":"2026-03-31T15:48:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=197034"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:51:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:51:39","slug":"hoogleraren-schrijven-een-filosofisch-kinderboek-ga-op-in-het-leven-zoals-philo-opgaat-in-de-zee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/03\/31\/hoogleraren-schrijven-een-filosofisch-kinderboek-ga-op-in-het-leven-zoals-philo-opgaat-in-de-zee\/","title":{"rendered":"Professors write a philosophical children\u2019s book: \u2018Immerse yourself in life as Philo immerses in the sea\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two professors have jointly written a philosophical children\u2019s book. Public philosopher Stine Jensen and Paul van Geest, who works in theology and economic thought, hope that Philo en de Zee <\/em>(Philo and the Sea) will inspire children to reflect on the world around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left to right: author Paul van Geest, illustrator Janneke Ipenburg, and author Stine Jensen.<\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The collaboration between Jensen and Van Geest came about after Jensen delivered her inaugural lecture in 2024. \u201cI had decided in advance that I wanted to end my inaugural lecture in a fun way\u201d, she says. She did so by handing out the Kleurboek voor Filosofen <\/em>(Colouring Book for Philosophers) to those present, one of the titles under her name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPaul received a copy as well and found it very amusing\u201d, she continues. \u201cHe sent me an email asking if we could talk further at some point.\u201d Jensen agreed, and a few days later they met in Van Geest\u2019s library, where he suggested the idea of writing a children\u2019s book together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that library, he told her about the stories he used to invent for his children. During that conversation, his ideas really came to life, according to Jensen. \u201cI thought: we could give that a try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philo and the Sea<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And from that attempt emerged Philo en de Zee<\/em> \u2013 a philosophical children\u2019s book written by Jensen and Van Geest, and illustrated by Janneke Ipenburg. The illustrations have a pastel-coloured palette that, according to Jensen, really allows the reader to disappear into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main character, a girl named Philo, enjoys going to the seaside. When she meets a dolphin who invites her on a journey, Philo discovers that the sea is full of life. \u201cIt is an incredible world\u201d, Jensen says. \u201cBy discovering this world, she can ask all the questions she has about life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The children\u2019s book is based on stories that Van Geest told his daughters years ago. At the time, he was already a professor and did not always have enough energy to read from a book in the evenings. So he made up stories himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy daughters shared one room and one bed at the time\u201d, Van Geest continues. \u201cI would lie down between them, and then tell them a story I came up with on the spot. And if I liked that story, I would write it down on a notepad, which I kept in a book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comprom<\/strong>ise<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Stack of copies of Philo en de Zee<\/em>.<\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although these stories formed an inspiration for the book, there was not yet an overarching storyline that tied them together. \u201cThe idea of a girl swimming through the sea and being prompted to think by a different animal each time comes from Stine\u201d, says Van Geest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jensen also came up with the idea that Philo works better as a name, as it brings her closer to philosophy. The editor supported this idea as well. But for Van Geest, the girl had been called Philomeen for years. \u201cI struggled with that at first\u201d, he says. Fortunately, a compromise was quickly reached: the story makes it clear that her real name is Philomeen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not only Philo\u2019s name is connected to philosophy, but so is the rest of the book. \u201cThe book should prompt children to ask philosophical questions\u201d, says Jensen, \u201cbut also inspire wonder. They should feel motivated to go outside and to think about the world around them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the questions Philo asks, philosophy is also reflected in the theological elements of the book. For example, there is a sea turtle named Petra, named after Peter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPhilo asks Petra why she swims against the current\u201d, Van Geest explains. \u201cPetra does this to build up her strength, to become resilient \u2013 like a rock on which you build a church, as Peter does in the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection with the sea<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fact that Philo en de Zee<\/em> takes place in the water reflects the connection Jensen and Van Geest have with the sea. As a child, Jensen went on sailing trips with her father. \u201cHe had his own boat\u201d, she says, \u201cso I spent a lot of time on the water.\u201d Even now, she still enjoys going to the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018The sea has something beautiful, something unfathomable, and sometimes something cruel\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Van Geest used to walk along the sea with his grandfather, on the pier at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen. \u201cDuring those walks, he would tell me to be careful, but also that the sea was so beautiful. And that influenced my thoughts: the sea has something beautiful, something unfathomable, and sometimes something cruel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He now walks along the sea with love. Because: \u201cThen there is nothing else but the sea. You are fully in the here and now, and that is important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H<\/strong>ere and now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The importance of the here and now is something the authors wanted to make clear. In their children\u2019s books, they talk about ‘sea time’, based on the natural phenomenon of ebb and flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Jensen, humans follow the clock, while life for animals flows more naturally. \u201cFor example, Philo goes to school at a set time,\u201d she explains. \u201cShe has lunch at twelve o\u2019clock, and her parents work every day. Animals don\u2019t have such obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea that humans might have something to learn from animals is an important lesson for Philo. \u201cAnd it is also an important lesson we want to pass on to children and even adults,\u201d says Van Geest. \u201cLive more in sea time, think about the here and now, and immerse yourself in life as Philo immerses in the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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