One of the major struggles for control currently being waged in American society is around the issue of schooling and moral values. However, radical educators have effectively removed themselves from this debate by substituting the discourse of moral indignation for a theory of ethics. In part, this has meant that they have been unable either to ground their own political projects and views of schooling in a moral vision or to effectively challenge the retrograde and formalistic views of ethics and schooling that have been put forth by various conservatives and liberals. This article examines the inadequacy of mainstream conservative and liberal views in this area and suggests alternative categories and interests around which a critical discourse linking ethics, education, and politics can be developed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AronowitzS., & GirouxH. A. (1985). Education under siege.South Hadley, MA: Bergin & Garvey.
2.
BastianA., FruchterN., GittellM., GreerC., & HaskinsK. (1985). Choosing equality: The case for democratic schooling. Social Policy, 15(4), 34–51.
3.
BenjaminW. (1969). Thesis on the philosophy of history. In ArendtH. (Ed.), Illuminations (pp. 253–264). New York: Schocken Books.
4.
BenhabibS. (1985). The Utopian dimension in communicative ethics. New German Critique, No. 33, pp. 83–96.
5.
BennettW. (1985). Application for grants under the secretary's discretionary program.U.S. Department of Education, CFDA No. 84.122B.
6.
BlochE. (1986). The principle of hope (3 vols.). Cambridge: MIT Press.
7.
BookchinM. (1986). The modern crisis.Philadelphia: New Society Publishers.
8.
ChazanB. (1985). Contemporary approaches to moral education.New York: Teachers College Press.
9.
ChomskyN. (1985). Turning the tide.Boston: South End Press.
10.
CorriganP. (1984). The politics of feeling good: Reflections on Marxism and cultural relations. Unpublished paper.
11.
CorriganP., & SayerD. (1985). The great arch: English state formation as cultural revolution.New York: Basil Blackwell.
12.
DworkinR. (1977). Taking rights seriously.Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
13.
EastonL. D., & GuddartK. H. (1967). Writings of the young Marx on philosophy and society.Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
14.
GalbraithR. E., & JonesT. M. (1976). Moral reasoning: A teaching handbook for adapting Kohlberg to the classroom.Minneapolis: Greenhaven Press.
15.
GiarelliJ. (1986). Review of education under siege. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 318–323.
16.
GirouxH. A. (1983). Theory and resistance in education.South Hadley, MA: Bergin & Garvey.
17.
GirouxH. A. (1987). Public philosophy and the struggle for democracy. Educational Theory, 37(2), 104–120.
18.
GirouxH. A. (in press). Schooling and the struggle for public life: Critical pedagogy in the modern age.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
19.
GirouxH. A., & PurpelD. (1983). The hidden curriculum and moral education.Berkeley: McCutcheon.
20.
HellerA. (1985). The basic question of moral philosophy. Philosophy and Social Criticism, 1(Summer), 35–61.
21.
HorkheimerM. (1986). Ethics and critical theory. Telos, No. 69, pp. 85–118.
22.
KohlbergL. (1973). Moral development and the new social studies. Social Education, 37, 369–375.
23.
KohlbergL. (1981). The philosophy of moral development.New York: Harper & Row.
24.
LaschC. (1986). What's wrong with the right?Tikkun, 1(1), 23–29.
25.
LernerM. (1987). A new paradigm for liberals: The primacy of ethics and emotions. Tikkun, 2(1), 22–28, 132–136.
26.
MarquandR. (1987, January 30). Moral education: Has “values neutrality” left students adrift?Christian Science Monitor, p. B2.
27.
MirgaT. (1986, November 19). Restore family stability, panel urges. Education Week, pp. 14, 17.
28.
MosherR. (Ed.). (1979). Adolescents' development and education: A Janus knot.Berkeley: McCutchan Publishing.
29.
NashR., & GriffenR. (1986). Balancing the private and public. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 171–182.
30.
ParkerF. (1985). Moral education in the United States. College Board Review, No. 137, pp. 10–15.
31.
PopkewitzT. S. (1984). Paradigm and ideology in educational research.Philadelphia: Falmer Press.
32.
PopkewitzT. S. (1987). Professionalization of knowledge and policy legitimation: Social science during the formative years of schooling. Unpublished paper.
33.
RajchmanJ. (1986). Ethics after Foucault. Social Text, No. 13/14 (Winter/Spring), 165–183.
34.
RathsL., HarminM., & SimonS. (1978). Values and teaching (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill.
35.
RawlsJ. (1971). A theory of justice.Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
36.
Research and Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development. (1985). Investing in our children.New York: Committee for Economic Development.
37.
RichJ. M., & DevitisJ. L. (1985). Theories of moral development.Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
38.
RyanK. (1986). The new moral education. Phi Delta Kappan, 68(November), 228–233.
39.
ShorI. (1986). Equality is excellence: Transforming teacher education and the learning process. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 406–426.
40.
SiegelF. (1986). Is Archie Bunker fit to rule? Or: How Immanuel Kant became one of the founding fathers. Telos, No. 69, pp. 9–29.
41.
SilvaE. T., & SlaughterS. A. (1984). Serving power: The making of the academic social science expert.Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
42.
SimonR. (1987). Empowerment as pedagogy. Language Arts, 64(4), 370–382.
43.
SimonS., HawleyR. C., & BrettonD. D. (1973). Composition for personal growth.New York: Hart Publishing.
44.
SommersC. H. (1984). Ethics without virtue. American Scholar, 53, 381–389.
45.
StrikeK. A. (1982). Educational policy and the just society.Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
46.
U.S. Department of Education. (1986). Works: Research about teaching and learning.Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
