Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1983
Department 1
Philosophy
Abstract
Ronald Zigler has intended to take us on an educational adventure, a descent into the moral underworld of human biology, in search of "a theory of virtue and how it can be taught." With the shade of John Dewey as guide, intoning the admonition that "all virtues and vibes are habits," Zigler tracks the sources of aggression through the epigenetic land and, lo, approaches even unto the hypothalamus itself. He returns blinking into the daylight of moral education, clutching the truth that training in meditation is a key to the development of virtue, because it can "promote the functional integration of the nervous system" and dissipate the aggression that comes from "biological errors." As I read the tale, however, Zigler has wandered so blindly and won a prize so meager, I must ask, "Was this trip really necessary?" Put directly, I believe the paper has fatal flaws. [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the publisher's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
DeNicola, Daniel R. Virtue and the Need for Heroes. Philosophy of Education 1982: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Philosophy of Education Society, edited by Donna H. Kerr. The Philosophy of Education Society (Normal, IL), 122-124.
Required Publisher's Statement
Original version is available from the publisher at: http://www.rodopi.nl/senj.asp?SerieId=PHED