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The Problem of Democratic Values Education
Author(s) -
Puolimatka Tapio
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of philosophy of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.501
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9752
pISSN - 0309-8249
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9752.00068
Subject(s) - democracy , sociology , library science , philosophy of education , political science , higher education , social science , public administration , law , politics , computer science
The paper explores the moral ontology of democratic values education. It argues against the assumption that democratic values education, based on individual freedom, should be understood in a moral anti‐realist and constructivist frame of reference. It claims, instead, that it is possible to educate in democratic values in ways that foster the development of the rational and moral autonomy of children only within the moral realist context. The Kohlbergian, Deweyan, Rawlsian, MacIntyrean and Rortyan counter‐arguments are considered and some of their problems discussed.