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Stories and the development of virtue

  • Adam M. Willows

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

From folk tales to movies, stories possess features which naturally suit them to contribute to the growth of virtue. In this article I show that the fictional exemplars help the learner to grasp the moral importance of internal states and resolves a tension between existing kinds of exemplars discussed by virtue ethicists. Stories also increase the information conveyed by virtue terms and aid the growth of prudence. Stories can provide virtuous exemplars, inform learners as to the nature of the virtues and offer practice in developing situational judgement. As such they are a significant resource for virtue ethics and moral education.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)337-350
Number of pages14
JournalEthics and Education
Volume12
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Sept 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Exemplars
  • fiction
  • learning
  • stories
  • virtue

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