Moral Education

Publisher Description

This volume is unique in providing a comprehensive discussion of moral education in the light of a range of ethical theories. In a balanced, thoughtful and penetrating account, all of these are shown to have a contribution to make to our moral understanding, and hence to moral education, even if none provides a definitive criterion of moral conduct. Though divine command is rejected as a source of moral justification, the possible contribution of some religious traditions to moral education is sympathetically considered. Fashionable relativism and recent moves towards inculcatory authoritarianism are both firmly rejected. The argument is philosophically rigorous throughout. Contemporary issues addressed include the links between personal morality and citizenship, including world citizenship, family values and sexual morality. A final chapter considers some of the practical concerns of the moral educator. The language is lucid and concise and, though written with professional philosophers of education and teacher educators in mind, the text will be readily accessible to practising teachers and those in training, as well as to members of the general public concerned for the moral education of the next generation.

This volume is for professional philosophers of education and teacher educators, as well as for school teachers and administrators, teachers in training and other education students.