ABSTRACT
In this chapter Richard E. Morehouse assesses Sharp’s work relating to education of the emotions and “caring thinking,” a construct developed by Sharp and Lipman referring to the capacity to think about ethical, political and aesthetic values, to consult emotional sensibilities and value convictions in the course of philosophical inquiry, and to care for the dignity of co-inquirers. Morehouse distinguishes Lipman’s more epistemological understanding of caring thinking (another method of inquiry) from Sharp’s more ontological understanding (a way of life). He relates Sharp’s work to that of psychologists (Bandura, Dweck, Erikson, Selman) who seek to explain human striving for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. He notes postmodern and posthumanist criticisms of Sharp’s normative scheme of emotional development and explains Sharp’s own suspicion of such critiques, rooted in pragmatism and cultural psychology (Bruner). He recommends Chetty and Suissa’s application of critical race theory to classroom discussion as an important critique and extension of Sharp’s work on caring thinking and education of the emotions.
