Education for Loneliness as a Consequence of Moral Decision-Making: An Issue of Moral Virtues
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Education for Loneliness as a Consequence of Moral Decision‑Making: An Issue of Moral Virtues Jarosław Horowski1
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The direct reference point for these analyses is the process of making moral decisions, but a particular point of interest is the difficulty associated with making decisions when acting subjects are aware that their choice of moral good can lead to the breakdown of relationships with those close to them (family members or friends) or to their exclusion from the group(s) that have been most important to them so far in their lives, consequently causing them to experience loneliness. This difficulty is a challenge for education, which in supporting the moral development of a maturing person should prepare her/him for choosing moral good even if this requires personal sacrifices. In these analyses, assuming that knowledge of moral good is not sufficient for morally good actions, I refer mainly to the virtues of character that facilitate making morally good decisions and I seek the answer to the question: what character traits (moral virtues) should be shaped in maturing persons, so that as adults they can resist moral evil, even when this will clearly lead to the experience of loneliness? I propose these character traits as expressing moral virtues—especially the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude (neo-Thomistic approach). In this way, I join in the discussion relating to the teleology of education. I do not touch on the methodology of education, however. The argument is presented in two parts. In the first, I introduce the problem of decision-making implying consent to loneliness. In the second, I reflect on the characteristics of a person who is capable of making such a decision. Keywords Loneliness · Difficult moral decision · Virtues · Fortitude · Longanimity · Teleology of education
Introduction Making moral decisions can be difficult for people, especially when the choice of moral good is accompanied by severe consequences, for example, when the person making the decision is aware that obedience to her/his good conscience will lead to the loss of goods or will prevent the achievement of goods that were previously a subject of endeavour. Equally * Jarosław Horowski [email protected] 1
Department of Theory of Education, Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń, Poland
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difficult, if not more difficult, is the making of a morally good decision in opposition to the aspirations and endeavours of those close to a person, which may result in loss of contact with these people (breaking a relationship with a parent, child or friend, for example) or exclusion from a group of people who have been a basic part of the person’s life experience to date. Awareness of such a possibility can lead not only to hesitation, but also to the abandonment of a morally good solution and the choice of a worse one so that the relationship with a significant person or group is not br
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