If morality is a difficult term, then values is even more problematic. One leading moral philosopher wrote bluntly: “I find it difficult to find a philosophical use for the noun ‘value’ that is not more clearly served by the words ‘good,’ ‘bad,’ ‘harm’ and ‘benefit’ and related terms like ‘better’ and ‘worse’” (Gert, 1998, p. 94). Gert (1998) went on to acknowledge that the word is widely used but claimed that he does not understand these uses. However, as a nonphilosopher I am less confused by everyday uses of the term, or by its use, for example, in Julian Edge’s (1996a) article entitled “Cross-Cultural Paradoxes in a Profession of Values,” to which I refer more than once in this book. However, I believe that what Edge (1996a) referred to is the same thing that I call the morality of teaching; and, more generally speaking, I take the term values to refer to beliefs about what is right and good—the same meaning I have assigned to morality. This is close to the kinds of definitions used in research on values in education (Stephenson, Ling, Burman, & Cooper, 1998): for example, that values are “those beliefs held by individuals to which they attach special priority or worth, and by which they tend to order their lives” (Hill, 1991, cited in Ling & Stephenson, 1998, p. 3). Thus, in this book I use orality and values interchangeably, us-ing the latter not just for stylistic variety but also o make connections with work such as Edge’s and research in general education.
I also wish to clarify one distinction: that between morality and ethics. For pilosophers, these two terms are generally interchangeable; morality is the subject of the ranch of philosophy known as thics. However, in professions such as teaching and research, the term ethics has taken on a more specific meaning: It refers to codified standards and rules governing professional practice. In this understanding, the difference between morality and ethics is that Ethical values may be imposed on members of a profession (such as teaching) by the collective in the form of professional organizations and governmental bodies. Examples include the mandating of confidentiality in reporting grades, or rules governing physical punishment. Morality, on the other hand, though it is usually played out in the social arena, also crucially involves personal, private values and beliefs. Thus, while it plays a central role in social activities such as teaching, it cannot be regulated by external institutions, but must always be mediated by individuals. (Buzzelli & Johnston, 2002, p. 5)
In this book I use the noun ethics and the adjective ethical only to refer to codes of behavior of this kind, although in quotations from other writers the word ethics may refer to what I call morality. Last, I wish to say a word about ideology. I am in complete agreement with Gee (1990), who chided us for using the word ideology as if it were a biased set of values that other people might have but from which we ourselves are free. Like Gee, I believe that we all have ideologies and use them in our dealings with others. For me, ideology means nothing more or less than morality in political contexts; that is how I use the word in this book.
I also wish to clarify one distinction: that between morality and ethics. For pilosophers, these two terms are generally interchangeable; morality is the subject of the ranch of philosophy known as thics. However, in professions such as teaching and research, the term ethics has taken on a more specific meaning: It refers to codified standards and rules governing professional practice. In this understanding, the difference between morality and ethics is that Ethical values may be imposed on members of a profession (such as teaching) by the collective in the form of professional organizations and governmental bodies. Examples include the mandating of confidentiality in reporting grades, or rules governing physical punishment. Morality, on the other hand, though it is usually played out in the social arena, also crucially involves personal, private values and beliefs. Thus, while it plays a central role in social activities such as teaching, it cannot be regulated by external institutions, but must always be mediated by individuals. (Buzzelli & Johnston, 2002, p. 5)
In this book I use the noun ethics and the adjective ethical only to refer to codes of behavior of this kind, although in quotations from other writers the word ethics may refer to what I call morality. Last, I wish to say a word about ideology. I am in complete agreement with Gee (1990), who chided us for using the word ideology as if it were a biased set of values that other people might have but from which we ourselves are free. Like Gee, I believe that we all have ideologies and use them in our dealings with others. For me, ideology means nothing more or less than morality in political contexts; that is how I use the word in this book.
Very interesting of those tips. Where do you get them from?