편파성과 도덕교육

Abstract

There is a debate between partialists and impartialists in ethics. Partialists claim that there are morally admirable partiality. They hold that some sorts of partiality directed toward family members and friends can be regarded as permissive and even admirable. Impartialists, by contrast, deny the possibility of morally admirable partiality and hold that impartiality is a universal requirement of morality.Modern moral theories, both utilitarianism and deontological moral theories, tend to endorse the impartiality. In other words, in modern moral theories, impartiality is understood as a universal moral requirement. However, the idea that impartiality is a universal moral requirement does not seem to fit with our ordinary moral intuitions. Loyalty to one's family, community or country is generally regarded as a virtue, although it is an example of partiality.In this paper I argue that partiality is a ground for effective moral education. Some moral virtues such as compassion, kindness, and care cannot be cultivated without experiencing the close personal relationships in communal life. So teaching children impartiality in moral education, or applying the impartiality principle to moral education without critical examination is neither desirable nor realistic.