from liberation to the practice of care the educational philosophy of ann margaret sharp

Abstract

This article aims to critically analyse the educational philosophy of Ann Margaret Sharp (1942-2010), co-founder with Matthew Lipman of the philosophical-educational proposal known as ‘Philosophy for Children’. Sharp’s philosophical vision, which has not yet been sufficiently studied and analysed, relies on an innovative combination of educational practice, intellectual liberation, and relational care. The first part of the article clarifies in what sense, before conceiving Philosophy for Children with Lipman, Sharp drew on Nietzschean insights that she developed creatively to achieve the liberation of children and teachers. This transformation is related to the re-evaluation for formative and existential purposes of concepts and practices such as sublimation and suffering, which traditional education disregards or rejects. The second part of the article focuses on Sharp’s contribution to the development of Philosophy for Children from the 1970s. In this respect, Sharp integrated her Nietzschean reflections, which were still based on the centrality of the individual (both student and teacher), with a more communal and relational perspective, which contributed in a unique way to the development of the theoretical-practical core of Philosophy for Children, that is, the dialogical dynamic known as the ‘Community of philosophical inquiry’. Secondly, we endeavoured to detail Sharp’s view of relational care and the so-called ‘caring thinking’, which has become one of the cornerstones of this philosophical practice, as well as the related teacher-training activities. Finally, it was shown how, from a general point of view, the intersection with care contributes to the further conceptual and practical clarification of the educational innovation of Philosophy for Children.