Stephen’s Latest Book
Routledge 2006. £14.99
Philip Pullman: ‘THE WAR FOR CHILDREN’S MINDS is a brilliantly clear and convincingly argued defence of liberalism in moral education. Stephen Law examines and demolishes all the arguments in favour of authoritarian ways of teaching, and shows that in spite of the insistence of popular commentators from the religious right, a liberal and rational examination and discussion of moral questions does not lead to relativism and the decay of ethical behaviour, but can in fact be the best defence against them. This book won’t be read by popular journalists: they will attack it without reading it. But it should be read by every teacher, every parent, and every politician. What’s more, it should form the subject for discussion in every church, synagogue, mosque, and religious youth group. It’s one of the most engaging as well as one of the most necessary books that I’ve ever read in the field of moral education.’
I am interested in the arguments put forth in this book, and will try to check it out. I also agree that reasoning through moral dilemmas will encourage youth to develop into moral agents (I’m in the Kohlberg camp, lol). At the same time, however, I believe that what it means to be “moral” stems from Christianity and the teaches of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, the religious right often “gets it wrong” when they posit that children should be fully “indoncrinated” with moral values at the expense of their right to question and reason through things. It’s about finding that balance between helping children become moral agents while giving them enough freedom to understand its importance on their own. http://www.speeklife.com
Thanks for the comment. I think you wil ggenerally approve of the book. (Though maybe not the bits that say morality is not dependent on the Judeo-Christian religion).Anyway, let me know….
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I did The Philosophy Gym.I wonder how christians can justify using the bible as a moral guideline though.