https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4103-877X
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ABSTRACT
Full virtue and practical wisdom comprise the end of neo-Aristotelian moral development, but wisdom cannot be cultivated straight away through arguments and teaching. Wisdom is integrated with, and builds upon, habituation: the acquisition of virtuous character traits through the repeated practice of corresponding virtuous actions. Habit formation equips people with a taste for, and commitment to, the good life; furthermore it provides one with discriminatory and reflective capacities to know how to act in particular circumstances. Unfortunately, habituation is often understood primarily as a method suitable only for children. This article examines whether Aristotle limited habituation to children and, if not, what the relationship between habituation and wisdom beyond childhood might look like. This article concludes that wisdom-guided habituation is also possible for adults who continue and confirm their already established virtuous habits. The implications of this for professional moral education are subsequently discussed.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. Others who see habituation as a moral educational method for children are Kristjánsson (Citation2014, p. 349), Silverstein and Trombetti (Citation2013, p. 236), Kerr (Citation2011, p. 644) and Peters (Citation1981, p. 52).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Wouter Sanderse
Wouter Sanderse is associate professor at Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg, the Netherlands, where he supervises practitioner research on topics related to teachers’ professional ethics. He received his PhD degree in Moral Philosophy from Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is author of Character Education (2012), co-author of Teaching Character and Virtue in Schools (2016), and (co-)editor of the books (all in Dutch) Denkruimte (2012), Lezen voor het leven (2017) and Karakter. Deugden voor professionals (2018).