Abstract
Character education is an increasingly discussed topic drawing upon virtue ethics as a moral theory. Scholars have predominantly understood educating character as a process that entails the formation of certain distinct character traits or functions through practice and habituation. However, these approaches present some problems. This paper explores the educational implications of various accounts focusing on the relationship between phronesis and other virtues. In particular, our focus will be on those that Miller (2023) has classified as Standard Model and Eliminativist Model of practical wisdom. Starting from these accounts, we will outline three specific problems that the latter models appear to generate at a theoretical level in character education. Finally, we will address the task of demonstrating why the monist account of moral virtue recently proposed by the Aretai group—which conceives being virtuous in possessing phronesis understood as ethical expertise—might offer a refined response to these challenges. In addition, we will illustrate three educational pathways that can emerge from the same model.
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Notes
All authors contributed equally.
In what follows, we will not discuss all models of practical wisdom, but rather focus on what we consider as the main philosophical ones. Recently, the debate around practical wisdom has become more and more fertile thanks to the work of the various branches of psychology that have given rise to new questions, for example about the empirical reliability of the philosophical account of phronesis (i.e. Fowers 2005; Lapsley and Narvaez 2004; Snow 2015; Snow et al. 2021).
In the classification proposed by Miller (2023), Virtue Monism is labeled ‘Socratic Model’. Virtue Monism can be considered Socratic insofar is monistic, but not insofar is intellectualistic (as the reference to Socrates may suggests).
Note that in the context of positive psychology a methodological and theoretical discussion is emerging from the conceptual tension between multiple distinct character traits on the one hand and the “good character” as a whole on the other (See Feraco et al. 2023).
Within positive psychology, there are also some attempts to stitch together philosophical and psychological views. For example, The Whole Trait Theory (WTT) of personality psychology (Flesson and Jayawickreme 2015) is integrated in the light of understanding neo-Aristotelian conceptions of virtue (Jayawickreme and Fleeson 2017).
It is evident that this first problem only concerns the Standard Model as the Eliminativist model does not contemplate the presence of phronesis.
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Acknowledgements
We are gratefull to the Aretai Center research group for many discussions on previous drafts of this paper. We are also particularly thankful to Claudia Navarini and Maria Silvia Vaccarezza for carefully reading the penultimate draft of this paper and raising many valuable comments.
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Niccoli, A., Piantoni, M. & Ricci, E. Virtue Monism. Some Advantages for Character Education. Topoi 43, 1043–1051 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-024-10041-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-024-10041-y