Ethics as a Mandatory Course in Public Schools

[Twinkling Butterfly]

When I first thought about this, I had in mind only my country, where ethics is an elective course if it is taught at all. If this course of study is mandatory in your country, vote Yes if you want it to stay that way, No if you don't.

And just to be clear, I am not suggesting that impressionable young children should have a particular morality spoonfed to them by public school teachers. I'm talking about a comprehensive course that takes the varied approaches to morality and demands critical examinations of each; one that invites students to open their minds and makes them think—really think—about morality itself.

My thoughts are (1.) if ethics can be called a science in the broadest sense of the word, it is easily the most practical of sciences, so why isn't it being taught along with the natural and social sciences? and (2.) will the children of this generation learn about ethics from someone who cares about them and their future, or from someone else?

[Platypus]

Yes, I think philosophy (encompassing ethics) should be taught in schools.

Philosophy is rarely studied by Australian students, and is typically not available to take as an elective until they reach university.

I have never studied it, but I imagine it teaches different rationales of our existence and our values. I assume this would be greatly beneficial in helping students realise there is more than one way to interpret their life or behaviour.

I am frequently disappointed by how unwilling Australian adults are to question their world. Whereas I have found it much easier to have challenging and pseudo-philosophical conversations with European people. I have wondered if this is because in some European countries, philosophy is a mandatory subject. Or perhaps my conversation topics are too serious and theoretical for laid-back Aussies!

[moralpeace7]

The lack of ethics in our world has been increasingly apparent and it shows why we do need ethics in our school systems. And I would like to start a campaign to get this done. Anyone have any idea of how to start or who we should talk to?

[Twinkling Butterfly]

Ack. I'm terrible at politics. Do you live in the US? If I were you, I think I'd contact the Teachers' Association in my State first...and make friends with a lawyer, if I hadn't already.

Did you join PF just to ask about that? How did you find this place?

[moralpeace7]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I did and found it by googling.

[Chic Geek]

C'mon. No wonder our kids are being dumbed down. What ever happened to reading, writing and arithmetic. My daughter can't even learn 15 spelling words in a five day school week because of all of the social b.s. that they put in there now. Besides, who is the government to teach my kids about their idea of ethics? Doesn't every family have a different idea of this? What happened to the role of parents teaching their kids right from wrong? And I really don't want to hear the argument, "but what if the kid's parents don't teach them ethics?" So? What if the kid's parents don't teach them to wipe their butts after they use the restroom. Should that be mandatory too? How about if they don't have parents who teach them manners? Make it mandatory? I am so homeschooling my kids next year bc of this bs. And Spanish for my Kindergartener? I thought we were supposed to be PC. What about the Chinese or the Germans? Not to mention that there is a 27 to 1 ratio of students to teacher. They already don't get enough individual attention on important subjects. Isn't anyone worried that the U.S. is falling way behind the rest of the world because of this?

I'm sorry if I came across too rash, but this is one of my sore subjects. I loathe public schools and their mandatory BS from the government. We don't need any more.

[moralpeace7]

There are priorities. Your children won't even have a chance to learn or even live if ethics in this world brought your economy down to something like the one in Libya and poisoned the environment so much that seafood can't be touched and there's no more fishing industry (in the process right now). So what is more important and which should be taught first? Certainly not wiping your butt. You can always teach your kids more words as a worried and responsible parent. If there's no environment or home, then you can't even live or learn. Don't you need one for the other?

One of the reasons why kids are being dumb down is because they don't learn logical reasoning which is a part of ethics classes. Logical reasoning is the core of intelligence. You can't learn logical reasoning through writing and arithmetic, but you would understand what subjects to learn through logical reasoning.

You said every family has a different idea of ethics? I don't believe there is any doubt between what is right and wrong unless your morals are in the wrong place. What is your idea of ethics?

[Chic Geek]

Well logical reasoning and intelligence aren't things that can be taught. You are born with your reasoning capability (you can see this if you give a four year old an iq test). You are also born with your intelligence. It doesn't change except plus or minus a few points your entire life. Intelligence does not equal knowledge or education. It is easy for anyone to memorize a list of something.

If I am paying $14,000 a year in property taxes you better be damn right my daughter can learn 15 words IN SCHOOL in 40 hours without me having to teach them at home when she doesn't have ANY other tests. That is why I am home schooling. If I have to do all the work when she gets home anyway, we might as well learn as much in half the time at home and then do fun stuff and spend some time together because her teacher can't possibly be spending time with her with 26 other students. I will guarantee that she will learn more in a third of the time it takes in public school. Plus she will have full attention.

She can learn more from me in a 10 minute conversation than in an hour at school. No one finds this disturbing or alarming? The system is messed up and that is a fact.

Yes everyone's ethics are different. If we go by what is illegal then I should be teaching my kids that it is wrong to put toys in happy meals. There are plenty of things that other people believe are right that I disagree with. Affirmative action, abortion, handing condoms out to kids etc. Does that make me unethical? If so, so be it. This country has gone to hell in a hand basket and the intelligent American people are fed up and saying no more thank you very much. You can take your laws and shove em.

Thanks for the reply but I make it a rule not to argue back and forth on something that we just never will agree on.

[Twinkling Butterfly]

Now I know why you like to party with the 'paths, imnotnuts.

Okay, seriously, I don't mean to be rude here, but did you actually read my post, or did you just read the poll question at the top?

I'm in favor of teaching ethics for the same reason I'm in favor of teaching science. Of course only a minority of schoolchildren will grow up to be scientists, but as long as they remain ignorant of science, they are vulnerable to deception by the misuse of it and its language. The same thing can happen with ethics, and what's more, if children don't study morality, if they don't learn about the nature of it, then what keeps them from rejecting the morality they're given once they're old enough to question it?

[katana]

I'm in favor of teaching ethics for the same reason I'm in favor of teaching science. Of course only a minority of schoolchildren will grow up to be scientists, but as long as they remain ignorant of science, they are vulnerable to deception by the misuse of it and its language.

That's a valid point. I think reasoning can be taught to an extent. I know people in developing countries who have said education has changed the way they think.

[color=teal]The same thing can happen with ethics, and what's more, if children don't study morality, if they don't learn about the nature of it, then what keeps them from rejecting the morality they're given once they're old enough to question it?

This is the problem. there is nothing wrong with people rejecting what morality they're given and forming their own. i think if you're lacking in the moral compass area, you can never really learn much about the nature of morality from studying it from an academic viewpoint. because empathy is the compass for ethics, and without it you can reason as much as you like but you just end up with nihilism every time and nothing to counteract it. with empathy, life teaches ethics. the people who seem to need ethics lessons will be the ones who will probably mostly skip the class. lol