Education, Philosophy and the Ethical Environment

How much can we reasonably expect from education? This book, written by a philosopher of education, casts new light on this question by seeing values education, not as a separate activity within schools, but as an aspect of education that both reflects the surrounding climate of values and can help to change it. Graham Haydon argues that all of us – whether as teachers, parents, students or citizens – share in a responsibility for the quality of that ethical environment. He argues that we must ensure that what happens in schools will:

• enable young people to appreciate the diversity of our ethical environment
• help them find their way through its complexities
• contribute to developing a climate of values that is desirable for all.

This book shows that values education is too demanding to be left to parents and too important to be entrusted to government initiatives. For teachers engaged in values education, this book brings a fresh perspective to what they are doing, within a realistic view of their responsibilities. For students of education, it shows that practical issues can be illuminated by insights from philosophy.