Enlarging civic mentalities : the roles of moral philosophy, narrative story-telling and social theory

Rob Stones

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

    Abstract

    In this paper I will address the issue of how we are to think about the character and role of civic virtues in the globalized twenty-first century. The very idea of civic virtue suggests, I would argue, a concern not only with the individual self, but also with the wider conununlties one belongs to, whether these be local, regional, national or global, or communlties that crosscut these. At its most fundamental level, a virtuous concern with these conununlties and the people within them suggests that one wishes them well in a way that transcends one's own wellMbeing and self interest. Such concern can, of course, manifest itself in a number of forms, from the relatively passive through forms of low level but significant moral support to various forms of active civil or political assistance. Also, and more centrally to the present paper, the ability to translate a diffuse and vague concern for others into something more focused and meaningful is no simple task. I want to argue that the humanities and social sciences can play a major role in elucidating what such a translation requires, and thus in a strategy of education whose goal is to improve the quality of civic concern for others.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationTransformative Challenges: Modern Civilization and Beyond
    EditorsInwon Choue, Yersu Kim
    Place of PublicationKorea
    PublisherKung Hee University Press
    Pages239-268
    Number of pages30
    ISBN (Print)9788982223365
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

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