Moral theories in teaching applied ethics.

Area of Science:

• Ethics
• Philosophy of Education

Background:

• Applied ethics courses often involve in-depth discussions of moral theories.
• Student comprehension can be negatively impacted by the complexity or oversimplification of these theories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To argue against the extensive teaching of moral theories in applied ethics.
• To propose a more effective pedagogical approach for applied ethics.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of pedagogical strategies in ethics education.
• Analogy drawn from scientific methodology, specifically physics.

Main Results:

• Extensive moral theory instruction leads to either information overload or superficial understanding.
• Methodological parallels suggest direct problem-solving is more effective than relying on overarching theories.

Conclusions:

• Focusing on direct problem-solving in applied ethics is pedagogically superior to extensive moral theory instruction.
• Rethinking the curriculum design for applied ethics courses is recommended for improved learning outcomes.