The central problem addressed in this thesis has two parts. First, how
can an educator respect the developing autonomy of a student's rational
capacities while nurturing'the development of particular moral sensibilities and a
particular moral perspective? Second, if a moral educator challenges a group of
students to consider an alternative moral position, how can she or he be justified
in presenting the new perspective as superior to the old one?
My argument, in summary, is that an ideal of strong objectivity, as it is
conceived by Sandra Harding in the context of feminist standpoint theory, works
as a set of standards against which to evaluate the adequacy of one's moral
perspective, and it offers a valuable means for comparing this perspective to
others. Strong objectivity is an ideal which employs a set of standards including
respect, reflexivity, and critical evaluation of social situations to challenge
inquirers to maximise their objectivity. They do this through recognising and
testing not only the content of their knowledge claims but also the purpose these
claims play in the development of research programs, A commitment to strong
objectivity entails attempting to understand the partiality of one's own
perspective and recognising how that partiality distorts one's perception.
The process of learning from others' perspectives is central to revising
and enriching one's own perspective, and this revision and enrichment is an .
ongoing responsibility for any teacher. Through the application of strong
objectivity to moral theory building, a moral educator can be justified in believing that her or his own moral perspective is the most adequate one available. If a
moral educator understands Harding's conception of strong objectivity, and
embraces it as an ideal, the result will be a more justly equitable learning
environment and a more complete understanding of the moral perspective which
is being developed within the classroom. These are fundamental to the
legitimacy of the work of a moral educator.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/8656 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Reilly, Elizabeth |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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