Flourishing as the Aim of Education: A Neo-Aristotelian View (Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education)

This book develops a conception of student flourishing as the overarching aim of education. Taking as its basis the Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia, it provides a theoretical study of the foundations of flourishing that goes well beyond Aristotle's approach. Flourishing as the Aim of Education argues that the 'good life' of the student, to which education should contribute, must involve engagement with self-transcendent ideals and ignite awe-filled enchantment. It allows for social, individual and educational variance within the concept of flourishing, and it engages with a host of socio-political as well as 'spiritual' issues that are often overlooked in literature discussing character education. Each chapter closes with food for thought for practitioners who can directly facilitate student flourishing. An outgrowth of the author's previous monograph Aristotelian Character Education, this book follows new directions in questioning how to educate young people towards a life of overall flourishing. It will be of great interest to researchers, academics and post-graduate students in the fields of character education, moral education and moral philosophy, as well as to educators and policy-makers Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of contents 8 Preface 11 1. An introduction to the concept of flourishing: good character and beyond 14 The aims of the book 14 The basics of flourishing accounts 17 The contours of flourishing 21 Rehearsal of some basics about character and virtues 27 What does a flourishing account add to an account of good character? 32 Food for thought for practitioners 37 2. Theories of flourishing in education: from the ideal to the practical 39 The new flourishing bandwagon in education 39 The first precondition of flourishing: external necessities 46 The second precondition of flourishing: a sense of meaning and purpose 53 Paternalism and elitism? 57 An ideal or a non-ideal theory of flourishing? 60 Food for thought for practitioners 63 3. The flourishing–happiness concordance thesis: do these two always go hand in hand? 65 Subjective versus objective well-being 65 The concordance thesis: two varieties 71 Flourishing without happiness 75 Happiness without flourishing 78 Just philosophical ‘armchair psychology’? 82 Food for thought for practitioners 84 4. The limitations of even supreme moral virtue: why we need contemplation and wonder to flourish 86 ‘An insightful mess’ 86 Developmental levels, individualisation and role-modelling 88 Role-based moralities: blessings and burdens 93 Blowing the whistle on philistinism 98 What is the missing virtue of contemplation then all about? 100 Food for thought for practitioners 102 5. Flourishing and awe: towards an extended, ‘enchanted’ Aristotelian theory 104 Venturing beyond Aristotle 104 Is Aristotelian flourishing flat and disenchanted? 106 Do we need supernaturalism to make sense of enchanted flourishing? 114 The example of science education 119 Initiating students into love of the transcendent 122 Food for thought for practitioners 125 6. Flourishing and epiphanies: going beyond Aristotle and Kohlberg 127 The road to Damascus 127 Academic musings and misgivings 131 Some relevant psychological evidence 138 Disenchantment, awe and elevation 142 Education for epiphanies 144 Food for thought for practitioners 147 7. Flourishing and the emulation of exemplarity: going beyond Aristotle and Zagzebski 148 Targeting the exemplarity of flourishing lives 148 Problematics of emulation – and examples from the historical emulation literature 151 The logical geography of admiration, emulation and elevation 160 Elevation as awe 163 How Mengzi (Mencius) may improve Aristotle 169 Food for thought for practitioners 174 8. Conclusions and reflections – and where we need to head next 175 A retrospective roadmap 175 The advantages of flourishing theories 182 Challenges and misgivings 187 Some further reflections on educational practice for flourishing 199 Concluding remarks and future directions 203 Food for thought for practitioners 205 References 206 Index 223 This books develops a conception of student flourishing as the overarching aim of education. While this book constitutes a theoretical study of the foundations of flourishing, each chapter closes with food for thought for teachers and other educators who can directly facilitate student flourishing.