This article will highlight the distinctive role of Cavell in renewing a dawn of American philosophy. Following Emerson's remark, 'the inmost in due time becomes the outmost', Cavell develops his distinctive line of antifoundationalist thought. To show how unique and valuable Cavell's endeavor to resuscitate Emerson's and Thoreau's voice in…

This article provides a précis of Kristján Kristjánsson's 2015 book, "Aristotelian Character Education," under discussion in the present issue.

Augustine's training in pagan rhetoric, his classical education, and the productive tensions he experienced between pagan and Christian exemplars played a formative role in his spiritual journey. An examination of the generative aspects of these encounters with otherness yields insights for our own understanding, not just of the importance to…

Aristotle considered moral beauty to be the "telos" of the human virtues. Displays of moral beauty have been shown to elicit the moral emotion of elevation and cause a desire to become a better person and to engage in prosocial behavior. Study 1 ("N" = 5380) shows engagement with moral beauty is related to several psychological…

Despite abundant research substantiating the value of teaching with films, there is a dearth of accessible resources that can help educators select films for positive modeling of character strengths. This scarcity exists in spite of the evidence that supports the efficacy of films' influence on young people. Young people today are receiving…

The real problem with teaching character is that, in order to teach it, the teacher has to have it. Students may or may not study lessons, but they certainly study the teacher. In this article, the author points out that process is what is needed to modeled, not perfection. By living honestly in front of their students, teachers provide them with…

This study questions the widely held assumption, particularly in the United States, that coeducation is best. Previous research supports the development of single-sex education for both female and male students. This study examines how the learning climate of the coeducation environment seems to affect the character development of female business…

Background/Context: The claim of a relationship between a teacher's moral character and a student's moral development has its roots in a rich philosophical tradition. It is a tradition that maintains that the young acquire virtue by associating with virtuous people in a virtuous community. In this way, it is assumed virtue is acquired by example…

Kids of any age can learn the basics of good character and figure out what they stand for. This leader's guide is a companion to the children's book, "What Do You Stand For? For Kids". The 11 lessons on the CD-ROM provide a complete course for kids on caring, citizenship, cooperation, fairness, forgiveness, honesty, relationships, respect,…

This character-education guide, for grades Pre-K through 12, presents field-generated, field-tested ideas for integrating character education with daily learning. The ideas are varied in design, scope, and developmental levels, and range from half-hour lessons to schoolwide events to year-long courses. Each unit (50 in all) is built on particular…

This essay asks and answers ten questions that the author believes can serve as a primer or heuristic for educators who are considering character education as a meaningful part of their pedagogical objectives in both the university core curriculum and specific disciplines. All of the questions and answers are premised around the key assertion that…

Results from research in social psychology, such as findings about the fundamental attribution error and other situational influences on behaviour, are often used to justify attacking the existence of character traits. From this perspective, character development is an illusion, an impossibility, or both. We offer a different interpretation of how…

Although there has been reluctance to support direct methods of teaching moral values and character traits, due in part to lack of consensus about whose values should be taught, a national call to rethink that trend has begun to be heard. An up-to-date account is provided of the recommendations of the Oregon State Board of Education to mandate…

This character education guide, for grades Pre-K through 12, presents field-generated, field-tested ideas for integrating character education with daily learning. The ideas are varied in design, scope, and developmental levels and range from half-hour lessons to school-wide events to year-long courses. Each unit (50 in all) is built on particular…

This second essay in a three-part series addresses what is labeled "first education"--education for the formation of character. The author argues that the attempt of contemporary social science to achieve a value-free orientation in human life can be questioned and that teachers should articulate a philosophic defense of moral training. (JMD)