Food for thought: resourcing moral education

Abstract

J.M. Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello is an overtly philosophical novel, at the heart of which are questions concerning the relation of human beings to animals and the discussion of animal rights. The nature of its subject matter and the prominence it gives to dialogue, sometimes of an almost Platonic kind, make it a rich potential resource for moral education. This article begins by imagining a course based on extracts from the novel, intended for teenage students or older people. It goes on to make suggestions for further reading. There is now a rich secondary literature that has developed in response to central elements in Coetzee's text, involving the work of Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Cora Diamond, Stanley Cavell, John McDowell, Cary Wolfe, and Ian Hacking, amongst others. This literature raises questions about the nature of moral philosophy, and it has implications for moral education.

Keywords:

• moral education
• philosophy and literature
• J.M. Coetzee
• animal rights
• ontology

Notes

Notes

1. ‘Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds,’ says the President. Emerson: ‘A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines’ (Emerson 1982, 183).