Well, I’m not there yet, but I’m on the home stretch. I have two classes left. One is a week long course for the Summer in July. The other is in the Fall. Written comprehensive exam and dissertation to follow. It has been a long process since the Fall of 2005. As I have written before, I want to concentrate my dissertation on the problem of values education in public education. I say it is a problem because there is no sufficient ethical basis for suggesting a particular set of values to teach children without being exlcusivist in a pluralist environment, where all values are supposed to be accepted and all norms are supposed to be ethically valid as well as all “truths.” How can we determine what values are “good” and “bad” and why? One person’s good is another person’s bad in our current culture, so this continues to be a problem and will only get worse.
May 4, 2009
Doctor of Education
Posted by Joseph under Education, Ethics, The Culture War, Worldview[2] Comments
May 4, 2009 at 7:31 pm
“How can we determine what values are “good” and “bad” and why?” The simple answer is the person that complains the most. That seems to be the way that we establish norms these days. The reason this is the case is because at least it will get them to finally shut up so the rest of us can get on with our lives.
I think that it is more of an epistemological problem vs. an ethical problem, but I think that ethics can be reduced to epistemology for the most part. The problem isn’t that there isn’t a sufficient ethical basis, it is that there is a insufficient epistemological basis.
August 20, 2009 at 1:55 am
Hi Joey,
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. Don’t have time to read the rest of the posts right now, though.
I would also love the opportunity to read the conclusions you draw regarding teaching values in public education. If you would send me a link to your dissertation when it’s complete, I would appreciate it.
Bless you brother – I always knew you would rise to greatness.
Tim