My remarks will outline, from a philosopher's perspective, challenges and opportunities that I see for a science of virtue. I will touch on three topics: (1) ensuring that the studies are philosophically useful; (2) grappling with issues of measurement; and (3) next steps in moving a science of virtue forward. I approach (1) and (2) through…

Virtue theorists commonly assert that significant moral change, such as the cultivation of a virtue or the elimination of a vice, can only occur over a prolonged period of time. Many scholars who make this claim also accept the comparison between virtues and skills. In this article I argue that if one accepts the comparison between virtues and…

This article discusses the extent to which middle-class Christians, many of whom were progressive liberals, involved themselves in the Moral Instruction League (MIL) to intervene in 'improving' the moral character of the English working class. It considers how they reconciled their motivations and underlying theology with secular goals that sought…

The aim of this paper is to provide a positive case for increasing the role and importance of religious morality within the subject of religious education in British schools. The argument is structured in the following way. First, attention is given to the diminished role accorded to moral education within religious education that followed the…

This paper develops out of research concerning the place of white teachers and social constructions of "white good" in South Australia's Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. Here I focus on an era known as the Ernabella "mission days" (1937-1971), a time when Presbyterian missionaries are typically thought to have…

The rules and principles approach for developing educators' ethical judgment may be less effective than a centered approach. A centered approach being one that focuses solely on the elementary and junior high teachers. Educators understand the moral and ethical convolution of their role; possess expertise in interpreting their behavior and…

The article investigates the meaning of temperance by noting some cultural assumptions, raising the question as to why this classical virtue has largely disappeared from modern ethical discourse. By means of some historical notes temperance is identified as the unifying virtue in the person and in society. In its Christian form it is related to…

In his reply to our paper Marangudakis raises important points regarding: (1) the measurement of environmental values; and (2) potential risks of deep ecological views to human welfare. We definitely agree that a more rigorous approach to the measurement of environmental values is needed. While the extent of belief in deep ecology remains an open…

In the early 1980s, it was not sub-prime mortgages and toxic assets, bank failures and factory closures that crowded the pages of the business section of the daily newspapers. It was something called "stagflation," a noxious combination of inflationary pressures on currency and stagnating levels of production. Still, the effects were…

Philosophers of education disagree on how the question of the moral status of homosexual acts should be tackled in the classroom. Some argue that the question should be taught as a controversial issue, that we should present rival moral positions as even-handedly as possible; others maintain that we should actively promote the view that homosexual…

This paper discusses the problem of the value of the individual child, particularly the handicapped child who will never be able to compensate society for the resources devoted to caring for and teaching him/her. Attention is first given to secular arguments on human value, then to observations drawn from Christianity. (Author/SJL)

Discusses the issue of moral blame as it relates to the AIDS epidemic. Argues that regarding AIDS as divine punishment for immorality is ethically and theologically unsound, resulting in a poor response to the AIDS crisis. States that self-righteous moral judgment is an inappropriate and un-Christian reaction toward AIDS victims. (GEA)

This paper focuses on the concept for Christian education to be permeated with great moral and ethical teaching. Character education can be the tool for that necessary teaching if consistent with Biblical teaching. There is great demand for the teaching of morality in all schools today, yet is the intention in Christian schools really to teach…

Provides a rationale for teaching courses on the Holocaust. Discusses the subject as a historical imperative to preserve the memory of a major historical event; as an ethical imperative to reinforce human values; and as a personal imperative to promote self-assessment and understanding of human nature. (DMM)

Addressing the problem that educators have in compiling a legitimate list of values to teach, the author examines the Bible as a source of value legitimacy and details the values expressed in the Hebrew and Christian covenants, the Ten Commandments, and the six beatitudes. (SJL)