Most of the young philosophers had no problem with the boy using the tree's shade. But they were divided on the apples, which the boy sold, the branches, which he used to build a house, and the trunk, which he carved into a boat. [...]
Some reasoned that even if the tree wanted the boy to have its apples and branches, there might be unforeseen consequences.
"If they take the tree's trunk, um, the tree's not going to live," said Nyasia.
Isaiah was among only a few pupils who said they would treat an inanimate object differently from a human friend.
"Say me and a rock was a friend," he said. "It would be different, because a rock can't move. And it can't look around."
This gave his classmates pause.
