Catching a Glimpse of the Palace of Reason: the education of moral emotions

Abstract

Abstract The main issue of this paper concerns how the education of emotions can contribute to moral education. This reflection starts from the intuition that a mere cognitive‐developmental approach is insufficient to understand the phenomenon of moral growth as a whole. Moral education can be cold and ineffective without any real commitment to the emotional stratum of the human person. Therefore, a theory on the appropriateness and reasonableness of emotions is presented from which conclusions are drawn on the educability of emotions. A distinction is then made between altruistic and rule‐emotions, and the development from the first to the second is described. Children learn to care for others and through this process they learn the relevant rules for this praxis of care. Some results from research in developmental psychology are helpful here. Finally, the necessity of an ongoing education of emotions, even within an analytical approach to ethical formation at school, is argued. Communication on values a...