Civics beyond critics : character education in a liberal democracy / Ian MacMullen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacMullen, Ian, 1976- author.

Series:

Oxford political theory

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education--Political aspects.

Education.

Education and state.

Civics--Study and teaching.

Civics.

Character--Study and teaching.

Character.

Physical Description:

xi, 275 pages ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First Edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2015.

Summary:

Should character formation be a goal of civic education in a liberal democracy? In addition to teaching knowledge and skills, should civic education shape children's values, beliefs, preferences, habits, identities, and sentiments? Most contemporary political and educational theorists who address these questions respond with a heavily qualified yes. They argue that education for civic character is vital to the survival and flourishing of liberal democracy but its content must be strictly limited to avoid compromising its recipients' ability to think and act as critically autonomous citizens. This means that civic character education should not extend beyond inculcating in children the basic and universal moral values that constitute the ideal of liberal democracy itself. Civics Beyond Critics argues that this orthodox view is wrong to prioritize critical autonomy over three other valuable character traits that have traditionally been fostered by civic education: law-abidingness, civic identification, and support for the fundamental political institutions of one's society. But the best alternative is not simply to reverse the priority. The goal of this book is to show how we can recognize the value of the lands of character formation that civic education has traditionally involved without losing the portion of the truth that can be found in the orthodox view. Civics Beyond Critics warns against neglecting character traits that, although commonly labeled 'conservative,' are realistically essential for the future of all liberal democracies. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction: Theorizing Education for Civic Character 1

1.1 The orthodox view 3

1.2 Character, education, pluralism, polities, and authority 31

1.3 Preview of the arguments 38

Part I Promoting Compliance with Laws

2 Cultivating Motives for Compliance 45

2.1 A typology of reasons to comply 51

2.1.1 Prohibitum reasons, expectations, and social coordination 54

2.1.2 Eight types of reason to comply: an example 61

2.2 Cultivating reasons to comply 62

2.2.1 Instilling beliefs 63

2.2.2 Shaping prudential values 69

2.2.3 Inculcating trust 72

2.3 Habits and habituation 74

2.4 Conclusion 78

3 Evaluating Education for Compliance: A Cost-Benefit Analysis 79

3.1 The limits of autonomous motivation 80

3.2 Beyond belief 83

3.3 The costs of educating for compliance 90

3.3.1 Failure of judgment 93

3.3.2 Defective judgment 95

3.3.3 The intrinsic value of moral motivation 101

3.4 Conclusion: striking the balance 104

Part II Fostering Civic Motivation

4 Sources of Civic Motivation 109

4.1 Perceived moral reasons for civic action 111

4.2 Habits and tastes 114

4.3 Patriotic affection 120

4.4 Civic identification 123

4.5 Identification without affection 132

4.6 Conclusion: educating for identification without affection 138

5 Doing Without Love 140

5.1 Moral reasons for civic action 142

5.2 The civic motivation problem 149

5.3 Patriotic love and distorted judgment 156

5.4 Civic identification and self-deception 165

5.5 Civic identity and ethno-cultural exclusivity 169

5.6 Reinforcing boundaries 173

5.7 Conclusion 176

Part III Status Quo Bias in Civic Education

6 Status Quo Educational Bias: Its Nature and Sources 181

6.1 What is status quo educational bias? 185

6.2 Biases in education and in judgment 187

6.3 Status quo bias: general or particular? 188

6.4 The dangers of inferring bias from effects, motives, and intentions 194

6.5 Unintended and unavoidable biases 201

6.6 Conclusion: controlling status quo bias 208

7 A Qualified Defense of Status Quo Bias 210

7.1 Objections to status quo bias 211

7.2 Content-dependent reasons for status quo bias 216

7.3 Content-independent reasons for status quo bias 229

7.3.1 Stability 229

7.3.2 Contentment 233

7.3.3 Compliance 235

7.3.4 Civic identification 238

7.4 Justified parochialism for universalists 241

7.5 Conclusion: two cheers for status quo bias 246

8 Conclusion: Citizenship and the Limits of Autonomy 252.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formerly CIP.

ISBN:

9780198733614

0198733615

OCLC:

908412128