Moral education just involves teaching moral rules. Parents and other adults should teach moral rules to children by their own example, by verbal instruction, by praise and blame, and by reward and punishment.
Moral education just involves teaching moral rules. Parents and other adults should teach moral rules to children by their own example, by verbal instruction, by praise and blame, and by reward and punishment.
This is fine, but incomplete, since the same methods can teach bigotry. Our example can teach that Jews are to be hated; and we can praise our children when they follow our example and punish them when they act kindly toward Jews. If such moral training succeeds, our children will end up internalizing Nazi values. It will seem "self-evident" to them that Jews ought to be hated.
Besides teaching moral rules, we also need to teach moral rationality.
Moral education just involves teaching moral rules. Parents and other adults should teach moral rules to children by their own example, by verbal instruction, by praise and blame, and by reward and punishment.
This is fine, but incomplete, since the same methods can teach bigotry. Our example can teach that Jews are to be hated; and we can praise our children when they follow our example and punish them when they act kindly toward Jews. If such moral training succeeds, our children will end up internalizing Nazi values. It will seem "self-evident" to them that Jews ought to be hated.
Besides teaching moral rules, we also need to teach moral rationality.