AbstractIn response to an urgent need for better decision making in the public sphere, this article presents a method by which literary study can cultivate wisdom, defined as the ability to respond to problems with courses of action that maximize flourishing and minimize harm for all parties, both now and in the future. Drawing on the latest evidence-based learning principles, the article explains the pedagogical strategies and practices by which four wisdom-constituting thinking skills can be developed.

The author explains how principles of cognitive science can help teachers of literature use texts as a means of increasing students’ commitment to social justice. Applying these principles to a particular work, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, he calls particular attention to the relationship between cognitive science and literary schemes for building reader empathy.