L’umano fiorire attraverso le virtù – Questioni e pratiche di educazione etica
Luigina Mortari, Valentina Mazzoni
We had born without a self image and the challenge of lifes journey is the realisation of that image. This realisation is a transcendental phenomenon that involves the constant search for the good. As Aristotle said: «the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim». But what is the good? It is difficult to say, indeed when we question what is good we engage in one of life’s great challenges and complex explorations. Considering the theory of care as integral in this search for good and also foundational to the Aristotelian Ethic of Virtue, the authors have created an experience of ethic education with primary school children that creates a platform for this search. This experience has become the focus of an educative research program titled «Melarete». This article presents the philosophy underpinning for this ethical educational research project describing the activities undertaken with the children. These activities included reading and writing ethical stories, recording dialogue between children and researchers and between the children themselves on ethical issues, and having the children write in a diary about the significant ethical events that have occurred in their daily life.
Keywords
Philosophy of care, Ethic education, Virtue, Primary school.