Consolidation and Polarization of Students’ Ethical Representations (On the Example of the InLiberty Summer School “Return of Ethics”)

Abstract

The article provides a critical review of “Return of Ethics”— online student summer school by educational project InLiberty, which took place from July 5 to 10, 2020. It was focused on the key problems of our times through the prism of ethical concepts and categories. On the base of the survey which consisted of ten practical moral dilemmas we examine the consensus and polarization of students’ ethical views and the evolution of moral views throughout the school. The obtained empirical data allow us to demonstrate changes in the ethical perceptions of school participants before and after the school. However, the impact of the “school factor” on ethical views is heterogeneous and not one-dimensional. Ethical views are inconsistent, students can adhere to different ethical concepts simultaneously depending on the moral dilemma they considered. It also turned out that a significant number of students changed their assessment of the same ethical cases. Relative consolidation of ethical concepts was recorded in six cases, and polarization — in four. Also, the number of students who were not ready to make ethical judgments decreased. Students revealed strong interest in ethics. Together with their aspiration to find moral decisions to the dilemmas of social life, it is extremely important circumstance, that deserves the attention of ethicists, since the work of such schools allows us to clarify our theoretical vision of morality and pay attention to the practical aspects of the application of ethical theories.