The manner in which individuals hold various nonevidentiary beliefs is critical to making any evaluative claim regarding an individual's autonomy. In this essay, I argue that one may be both justified in holding nonrational beliefs of a nonevidentiary sort while also being capable of leading an autonomous life. I defend the idea that moral…

The nature of skill, distinguished from habit, is sketched. Moral skill is defined as the skill, born of genetically rooted talent, which masterminds subsidiary skills into moral action (action conforming to certain moral principles). Training this skill is possible, but results will be uneven because talent varies. (IAH)

This article examines the theoretical assumptions of one type of behaviorism, currently known as social-learning theory, developed by the Sophist Protagoras. Also included is a brief investigation of Socrates' criticism of this view of psychology and his argument that it is an unsatisfactory basis for moral and citizenship education. (IAH)

A critique of widely held objections to the virtues approach to moral education addresses such problems as: distinguishing virtues; defining individual virtues; emphasizing conduct or reason in virtues; the contexts for understanding conduct; justifying the selection of virtues; and defining the scope of the virtues. (CB)

Examines ethics in relation to postmodernism, arguing that ethics, subsumed in the ontology of situatedness, is problematic in education and could encourage reincarnation of the violence postmodernism seeks to overcome. Levinas's work is used to argue that ethics cannot be subsumed by ontology but rather precedes ontology, highlighting autonomy…

Explores the unstated ethics that exist in the silent space between teacher and students, highlighting Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Lacan, and Buddhism. The paper uses the juxtaposition of west and east to help illuminate ethical pedagogy, and it argues that there is an unknowable dimension which raises the question of ethics in human relations that…

Indicates basic ontological assumptions in the virtues-principles debate in moral philosophy, noting Aristotle's and Kant's fundamental ideas about morality and considering a hermeneutic synthesis of theories. The article discusses what acceptance of the synthesis might mean in the theory and practice of moral pedagogy, offering examples of…

This article examines the view that art either is or should be moral. Significant parallels in the dynamics of moral and aesthetic judgement indicate that morality and art are separate but not divergent domains. The role of moral and aesthetic education in the liberal arts curriculum is explored. (DF)

Examines what values and virtues schools should cultivate in students as part of a program of moral or citizenship education, noting how these values and virtues differ based on historical and political contexts. The article focuses on four recent volumes on moral and citizenship education. (SM)

The suggestion to equate values with purpose is considered. The advantage of value development over moral development is that values apply to a broader category of ideas while morality has a more confined and narrow application. All students and teachers should attempt to become both creators and appreciators of values. (JN)

Introduces an interpretation of intrinsic moral value, drawing from Mahayana Buddhist teachings to forestall anticipated objections to that interpretation and indicating some implications of that interpretation for the practice of moral education. The paper draws from Alasdair MacIntyre's meta-ethics in its discussion of the debate on moral…

Argues that there is a particular conceptualization of moral education that should be established in public schools, discussing how to locate a public-school-appropriate moral-education curriculum and examining Dewey's idea of a moral science. The paper's three sections focus on Dewey's new science, the place of the subjective in value judgment,…

Arguments that the schools serve a conservative function, passing on existing social values, are summarized and critiqued. Teachers can plan a role in social change by: (1) teaching students to reflect critically on their own values; (2) helping them realize that individuals can change things; and (3) through moral education about social issues.…

Theoretical differences between Kohlberg and Dewey are discussed, with emphasis on fundamental differences in their interpretations of the nature of morality. (IAH)

The article discusses moral education in public schools. It proposes a realist model of moral realism derived from the work of Richard Boyd and Peter Railton, arguing that it offers relief from skepticism faced by moral educators and a foundation for teachable, achievable morality. (SM)