Learning for oneself: A Confucian-inspired case for moral formation in ethics pedagogy

This article explores the disconnection between ethical theory and ethical practice in ethics courses at secular U.S. colleges and universities. In such contexts academic ethics focuses almost exclusively on “ethical reasoning” and leaves the business of practical moral formation of students in the...

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Главный автор: Duperon, Matthew (Автор)
Формат: Электронный ресурс Статья
Язык:Английский
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Опубликовано: Wiley-Blackwell [2018]
В: Teaching theology and religion
Год: 2018, Том: 21, Выпуск: 1, Страницы: 4-20
Индексация IxTheo:BM Китайский универсизм
KBQ Северная Америка
NCA Этика
ZF Педагогика
Другие ключевые слова:B purpose of higher education
B Ethics
B Moral Formation
B ethics pedagogy
B Confucianism
Online-ссылка: Volltext (Verlag)
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Итог:This article explores the disconnection between ethical theory and ethical practice in ethics courses at secular U.S. colleges and universities. In such contexts academic ethics focuses almost exclusively on “ethical reasoning” and leaves the business of practical moral formation of students in the realm of “student life.” I argue this disconnection is inevitable given the dominant understanding that moral formation must be guided by a consistent ethical theory, and must eventuate in certain prosocial behaviors, while norms of pluralism and free inquiry mandate that academic courses not attempt to dictate certain views or behaviors as normative. Drawing on the Confucian model of moral cultivation expressed by the early Chinese figure Mengzi, I argue for a different understanding of moral formation that focuses on open-endedness, self-direction, and the acquisition of skills in directing attention and will. This approach avoids the most serious challenges to practical moral formation in secular contexts, and I suggest some broadly applicable principles for implementing these ideas in ethics courses.
ISSN:1467-9647
Второстепенные работы:Enthalten in: Teaching theology and religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/teth.12416