Conversation as Moral Education

Abstract

This paper discusses three forms of conversation relevant to moral education: the highly formal conversation of discourse ethics, the so‐called “immortal conversation”, and a form of ordinary conversation between adults and children that seems to be central to moral education. The last has these special characteristics: the adults are reasonably good people; the adults show respect or loving regard for their child partners; the conversational partner is recognized to be more important than the topic, argument, or conclusions.