Ethics and Moral Education Philosophy of Education Chapter

Ethics and Moral Education Philosophy of Education – Chapter 9 Author: Nel Noddings Chapter Highlights • Historical background of prominent ethical theories • Perspectives on Moral Education • Critical Analysis of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

Historical Background of Ethical Theories �Morality: defines how we should conduct our lives and how we should interact with others. �Philosophers in different periods of history have created theories to answer those questions �Noddings covers 4 of those which continue to impact our discussions today Pre-Enlightenment Ethics - Aristotle, Greek (384 BC – 322 BC) Enlightenment Ethics - Kant, German (1724 – 1804) Utlitarianism – Mill, England (1806 – 1873) Deweyan (Pragmatic) Ethics – Dewey , U. S. (1859 -1952)

Pre-Enlightenment Ethics � Aristotle’s ethics were connected to real life encounters and situations and for this reason hold lasting appeal � Virtue is central to “the good life” and children should be trained to respond to situations in a virtuous manner � In a behaviorist fashion Aristotle believed that one became virtuous by acting virtuously � Here’s an excellent discussion of Aristotlean ethics http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=yh. Ptg. Ys. WK 20 � Virtuous behaviors are those which are consistent with a society’s moral framework � This self-referencing leads to concerns or moral relativism

Pre-Enlightenment Ethics cont. �Relativism - the concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration �For example Aristotle did not have a negative view of slavery due to his culture’s wide acceptance of it �Aristotle’s lasting contribution is a concern for everyday interactions in ethical instruction.

Enlightenment Ethics � Kant believed that we are responsible for our choices and they are moral only if they are logically derived from the absolute principal of duty � Excellent discussion of Kant’s ideas http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ck 05 CNj. FKIU& feature=player_detailpage#t=63 s � “Act in a way that you can, without contradiction, insist that all others act in a similar situation” � Deontological: emphasize duty and attempt to describe its relation to other ethical concepts

Enlightenment Ethics Cont. �Kantian ethics through its emphasis on logic creates a rationale for absolute moral principles “Do not steal” �This leads to an emphasis on following the ethical rules rather than seeking the good (or virtuous) �There is an underlying assumption that, using reason, all people should arrive at the same moral conclusion �Kantian ethics moved morality away from the church (after the middle ages) and said that human beings could create their own rules through the action of intellect

Utilitarianism �“A vision of the good must precede determination of what is right” � Seeks the greatest good for the greatest number � A rather silly overview of Utilitarianism http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=kn. CIPpkdy. VE � Where Kantian ethics would rule that stealing is unacceptable, Utilitarian ethics could conclude that conditions are so terrible that stealing is warranted in order to create good � This moral flexibility creates the possibility of situations in which murder is warranted in order to preserve life where Kantian ethics would not allow killing under any circumstance

Utilitarianism Cont. �Modern social policy is heavily influenced by Utilitarianism �Social policies are intended to provide the greatest good for the greatest number and this can cause harm to some (the disadvantaged)

Deweyan Ethics �Dewey had a much more dynamic view of ethics than Utilitarians in the sense that he did not believe that ‘happiness’ was always the most desirable end �Dewey believed in the responsibility of the individual to take responsibility for any possible outcome and proceed from this line of thinking. �Moral rules are flexible and open to further investigation depending on the circumstances and needs

Perspectives on Moral Education �Moral Education is a consistent topic of contention in educational practice �Character education (one form of moral education) derives its support from powerful traditions “Train up a child in the way he should go” + Aristotlean ideas of virtuous training �Character education typically relies on exemplars and role models �Here’s a promo video for a character education curriculum http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=6 Ll. Lt 8 yf 9 w 8

Moral Education Cont. �Moral education is not empirically defensible. While we look for statistical evidence of progress in academic areas, there is little evidence that moral education results in more moral behaviors �That being said moral education has a great deal of support due to its commonsensical appeal

Kohlberg and Cognitive Developmentalism �Arising from ideas of formative stages of development Kohlberg defined stages of moral development as children developed. �The origin of the modern idea that morality grows over time as children develop �The definition and arrangement of the stages creates debate on which is more developed

Kohlberg and Cognitive Developmentalism cont.

Kohlberg and Cognitive Developmentalism cont. �Stage theories demand invariancy. Children should progress linearly through each stage and this is not provable of Kohlberg’s stages �The idea that one stage is more developed than another is debatable and this is a main criticism of theory �Kohlberg’s theory is often criticized as being culturally and gender insensitive due to the fact that it is based on a white western male perspective. It may be inapplicable to other cultures and gender therefore its universality is questionable.

Conclusions � Ideas of moral education have a long history and impact modern discussions � The historical framework for moral education is important to understand because it defines the field � Social-Emotional Learning curricula in modern schools are driven by these historical precedents � The debate about relevance and import of moral education are ongoing, but it may be important to realize that for much of educational history moral education was a central focus, perhaps it should be today.