An Instinct for the Divine

The Christian Scriptures imply that some virtues are bestowed directly by God; that God “infuses” virtue along with the gift of sanctifying grace. This implication stands in sharp contrast to the traditional Aristotelian understanding of virtue, for it implies—against the Aristotelian account—that virtue does not arise from our own efforts. Many scholars explain Christian moral growth by hypothesizing that it occurs when the Christian cultivates Aristotelian acquired virtues that “fill out” his divinely given virtues. In this chapter, Knobel argues that this view is incorrect, and proposes a different way of understanding how it is that the infused virtues grow. She argues that to understand what it would mean for an infused virtue to grow, we must first consider the question of what an infused virtue is. Only then does it become clear that the growth of infused virtue cannot be achieved by cultivating Aristotelian acquired virtues.

Experience of distance learning in modern Russia (philosophical and educational experiments)

This article is devoted to the issue of distance learning for students. This form of education has become common in Russia in conditions of high risk of the coronavirus infection COVID-19. However, there are concerns that distance learning will become a regular norm. Meanwhile, the consequences of this may be negative, since education and promotion of students’ moral growth will become essentially impossible. The entire education system will be reduced to informing students about certain disciplines. Thus, distance learning should not take the form of a daily norm in the education system. English version of the article is available at URL: https://panor.ru/articles/experience-of-distance-learning-in-modern-russia-philosophical-and-educational-experiments/70447.html

The Third Antinomy Resolved

This chapter examines the resolution of the third antinomy. Kant argues that the thesis and antithesis are (roughly speaking) sub-contraries rather than contradictories. However, the sense in which he maintains that the thesis and antithesis ‘can both be true’ is delicate. He holds that the truth of neither claim excludes the truth of the other; but this is compatible with necessary falsehood of the thesis, which affirms the existence of human freedom. Importantly, Kant does not take himself to show on theoretical grounds that freedom is even logically possible. The chapter also discusses: Kant’s conceptions of intelligible causality and of empirical and intelligible character; moral responsibility; moral growth; the rationality of blame; Kant’s criticisms of Leibniz’s compatibilism; the third antinomy as an indirect argument for Transcendental Idealism; and the first-Critique’s version of a moral argument for freedom. Kant emerges as a ‘soft determinist’ of a highly unusual stripe.

More than good executives: The teaching mission of Confucian political leaders

Emboldened by the rise of China, a meritocratic trend has surged in recent Confucian political theory. Confucian meritocracy is upheld as an equally viable alternative, if not a superior one, to democracy because many think that the latter’s populist vices do not exist in the former’s hierarchical, managerial political structure. This article addresses this seemingly dichotomous relationship between democracy and Confucian meritocracy by drawing on Zhu Xi (1130–1200 AD). I demonstrate those overlooked egalitarian qualities inherent in Confucian meritocracy, which can render it naturally compatible with democracy. Thus, an accurate understanding of Confucian meritocracy requires us not to see it as an opposite of democracy. Rather, Confucian meritocracy actually fosters moral growth in the populace by encouraging them to participate in politics under the instruction of their political leaders, who are to be guided by two egalitarian pedagogical principles, that is, universal inclusion and student participation.

The phenomenon of distance learning in the context of an anthropological disaster

This paper is devoted to the topic of distance learning for students. This form of training has become common in Russia in conditions of high risk of COVID-19 coronavirus infection. However, there are concerns that distance learning will become the norm. Meanwhile, the consequences of this may be negative, as education, promotion of moral growth of students will become essentially impossible. The entire education system will be reduced to informing students about certain disciplines. Thus, distance learning should not take the form of a daily norm in the education system.

Development and validation of the English version of the Moral Growth Mindset measure

Background: Moral Growth Mindset (MGM) is a belief about whether one can become a morally better person through efforts. Prior research showed that MGM is positively associated with promotion of moral motivation among adolescents and young adults. We developed and tested the English version of the MGM measure in this study with data collected from college student participants. Methods: In Study 1, we tested the reliability and validity of the MGM measure with two-wave data (N = 212, Age mean = 24.18 years, SD = 7.82 years). In Study 2, we retested the construct validity of the MGM measure once again and its association with other moral and positive psychological indicators to test its convergent and discriminant validity (N = 275, Age mean = 22.02 years, SD = 6.34 years). Results: We found that the MGM measure was reliable and valid from Study 1. In Study 2, the results indicated that the MGM was well correlated with other moral and positive psychological indicators as expected. Conclusions: We developed and validated the English version of the MGM measure in the present study. The results from studies 1 and 2 supported the reliability and validity of the MGM measure. Given this, we found that the English version of the MGM measure can measure one’s MGM as we intended.

The Persistence of Character in Twentieth-century British Politics

Politicians across parties repeatedly agreed that their visions of social improvement rested as much on the promotion of character virtues as on the efficacy of economic systems. Character posed recurring political dilemmas. Ideological dispute over character, as to whether it is formed best through individual exertion or collective support, lies at the heart of the division of politics between right and left. Further, the limits to the people’s character were seen as a constraint upon social progress. Yet, contrary to much historiography, this is not a story of decline from a supposed Victorian heyday of ‘moral politics’. British politics proved notably adaptive in forging updated, optimistic visions, in which the forces of modernity which might have seemed to threaten the moral calibre of the body politic, or of society, whether democracy, state expansion, or, later, ‘individualism’, were recast instead as supportive foundations for the people’s moral growth. If the century has seen a steadily ‘quieter’, less loudly moralizing, more nurturing approach to the encouragement of character, this reflected a growth in the sophistication of the method of advancing character, not a decline in either the political importance accorded to it, or the people’s possession of it.