Dewey's moral deliberation as dramatic rehearsal of competing possible lines of action¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Dewey's moral deliberation, introduced in 1932, is the article's central explanatory framework for moral education: it is the process used in dealing with a moral problem, defined as "a dramatic rehearsal of various competing possible action." Caspary's three characteristics are that deliberation focuses on possible lines of action, predicts possible responses and consequences for each, and is inter-personal and sensitive to emotional feeling and intuition. The article uses it to critique and reconstruct both character education and Kohlberg's approach, arguing it is situation-based rather than tied to a sequence of moral stages.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A problematic situation in which no single action seems morally justified, so that deliberation and reflection have occasion to occur

Constraints¶

• The article states moral deliberation is not as easy to teach as Kohlberg's six moral stages or character education guide books
• It is distinguished from ethical relativism by the possibility of moral progress and by deliberation working as a general principle across similar future situations

Target Learners¶

• school students in moral education

Target Learning Objectives¶

• moral judgment and critical evaluation of values in specific situations
• preparation for dealing with future problematic situations

Claims¶

• Dewey Rejects Fixed Moral Stages [+W]
• Moral Knowledge Product Of Moral Inquiry [+W]
• Character education is criticized for didacticism and de-emphasizing reflection and moral judgment, and Dewey's deliberation is proposed as a bridge between it and Kohlberg's approach [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Dewey's pedagogical principles: school as life itself, no subject with educational value on its own, and education for all citizens

Examples¶

• Reconstruct Kohlberg-style moral education to integrate reason and feeling, self and relationship, and concept and context, using real problem situations instead of hypothetical dilemmas
• Cultivate character indirectly through all the agencies, instrumentalities, and materials of school life rather than through separate moral education courses
• Create dialogic spaces where students and educators negotiate GenAI dilemmas together

Key Sources¶

• Xiangdong Liu. (2014). The Problem of Character Education and Kohlberg's Moral Education: Critique from Dewey's Moral Deliberation. Philosophical Studies in Education 45. https://www.ovpes.org/