On the prospects for Aristotelian character education

Abstract

The prospects for Aristotelian character education (ACE) is considered. Seven important claims that should win wide acceptance are reviewed; and also two challenges that are impediments. I argue many of the assumptions of ACE turn out not to be distinctive. The conflation of realism and naturalism is ill-considered, and the account of phronesis will need additional clarification to be helpful to educators, as will the specific recommendations on offer. I conclude with a suggestion that Dewey offers a powerful, empirically grounded, educationally accessible account of moral functioning that meets the desiderata of ACE; and that charting an integrative perspective is an exciting prospect for the future.

Keywords:

• Aristotle
• character education
• Dewey

Notes

1. MacIntyre (1984) was influenced by this Lakatosian framework to account for how rival claims of ethical traditions can be adjudicated (personal communication).