Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1978
Journal / Book Title
Growing Up With Philosophy
Abstract
If morality were simply a matter of knowing rules and obeying them, then moral education would consist of developing in children a conscientiousness that would permit them to carry out these rules in a happy, unquestioning fashion. But morality is not so simple. It is not clear that there are rules for every situation, nor is it clear that accepting uncritically those rules which might apply contributes to children's development. Consequently, the child must be equipped to cope with situations lacking clear guidelines, situations that nevertheless require one to make choices and to accept responsibility for them. In order for a moral education program to be adequate, it must enable the child to think reasonably, develop patterns of constructive action, become aware of personal feelings and the feelings of others, develop sensitivity to interpersonal contexts, and acquire a sense of proportion regarding his own needs and aspirations vis-a-vis those of others. The teacher can begin by encouraging children to engage in philosophical dialogue where they can discuss their opinions and feelings with others and at the same time learn about other people's values and points of view, and by giving them the opportunity to engage in individual and collaborative inquiry where they can appreciate the values of objectivity, impartiality, and comprehensiveness, values that are indigenous to the philosophical enterprise. The cultivation of children's moral dispositions and the improvement of their moral judgment should result from our provoking them in a variety of ingenious and surprising ways to exercise their natural powers of taste, discrimination, reflection, and analysis in the countless forms and phases of making, saying, and doing.
Book Publisher
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
Journal ISSN / Book ISBN
0-7575-2394-3
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Lipman, Matthew and Sharp, Ann Margaret, "(1978/1994) Can Moral Education Be Divorced from Philosophical Education?" (1978). Scholarship. 1.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_mlipman_scholarship/1
Published Citation
Lipman, Matthew and Ann Margaret Sharp (1978/994) Can Moral Education Be Divorced from Philosophical Education? In Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp (Eds.) Growing Up With Philosophy, pp. 338-68. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.