“Mind is primarily a verb”: Caring Democracy and Education
Stefano Oliverio (University of
 Naples Federico II, Italy)

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81813506541

This presentation, inspired by Axel Honneth’s call to reconnect educational and political philosophy in theorizing democracy, explores integrating the vocabulary of caring alongside autonomy, central to the tradition from Kant to Dewey. Revisiting John Dewey’s democracy/education ‘conceptual hendiadys’ in light of caring democracy debates, I will highlight his notions of (im)maturity and mind, rooted in a care-centered, anti-Kantian perspective. Finally, I will propose reimagining education for inquiry as education for caring, with caring thinking and communities of inquiry – aligned with Joan Tronto’s “caring with” – serving as pivotal tools for fostering caring democracy.

Stefano Oliverio is Associate Professor of Educational Theory at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II (ITALY). He publishes and teaches in the areas of philosophy of education, educational theory, American pragmatism, Philosophy for Children, and education for citizenship. From 2013 to 2017, he was vice-president of the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children (ICPIC). Since 2018, he has been co-editor (with Gert Biesta) of the book series “Theorizing Education” and a member of the board of co-convenors of Network 13 (Philosophy of Education) within the EERA (European Educational Research Association).

For further inquiries: Yuxin Su (yuxin.su.16@ucl.ac.uk).

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