The
following list of titles and accompanying dates refers to past
postings on the blog, Gravitas: A Voice for Civics Education, that
have been deleted. After each title and date, the entries below
include the first paragraph of each respective posting. If you
care to receive a copy of a particular posting, send your request via
email to gravitascivics@gmail.com . One posting per request.
131 FACTORS
AFFECTING ADOPTION OF A MORAL CODE
(December
9, 2011)
In
trying to develop a moral code suitable for providing a theoretical
basis for values curriculum in civics, one needs to keep several
factors in mind. If you follow this blog, you know that I have been
developing such a code. I would like, in this posting, to identify
several of those factors.
132 THE
“INS AND OUTS” OF THE FEDERALIST MORAL CODE
(December
12, 2011)
In
my last posting, I listed several factors that would affect the
adoption of a moral code, a code that would be useful in the
formulation of a values curriculum in civics. They are abstraction
level, secular approach, and religious diversity. You are invited to
click on the archival entry to see my explanation of each of these
factors. This posting will pursue the notion of what the proposed
moral code does or does not address. I have written that my proposed
code, the federalist moral code, is limited. It is not in any way
presented as a code one needs to adopt for one's own sense or
standard of what is moral. It is a code that can serve as a source
for identifying moral concerns or questions for pedagogic purposes.
Teachers and curriculum developers can summon from the code ideas or
topics that can then be used in civics and other social studies
classes. Its benefits are that it gives direction as to what is
moral and what is immoral when it comes to public policy. In
my mind, it is derived from moral theories espoused by central
philosophers of the western tradition. To date, I have identified
its trump value and a set of instrumental values. In this posting, I
want to further describe its limitations as a moral code.
133 IMPLEMENTING
FEDERALIST MORAL CODE IN THE CLASSROOM
(December 16, 2011)
Of
late, I have been, through this blog, presenting a moral code. The
purpose has been to present a code that will be suitable for guiding
values education efforts in our public schools while promoting a
federalist view of civics. In this posting, I will review many of
the elements of the code as I present some instructional ideas that
can be incorporated in implementing the code.
134 TWO
POSSIBLE CONCERNS OVER THE FEDERALIST MORAL CODE
(December 19, 2011)
Since
October 17th I have, in this blog, been presenting a moral
code that I am offering as a guide for a values education effort in
our public schools. I have given it the name, federalist moral code.
The code has a trump value of societal welfare, a hierarchical
structure of values, and a list of “instrumental” values that
logically fall from the trump value. These latter values include
constitutional integrity (liberty), equality, communal democracy,
democratic pluralism and diversity, compacted arrangements, critical
and transparent deliberations, collective problem-solving, earned
trust, loyalty, expertise and patriotism.
135
A DIRECTION
(December 23, 2011)
I
have in past postings lamented the low levels of political
participation among our youth. I have also reported research that
not only backs up the above contention but also identifies
uncomfortable levels of narcissism and nihilism among the young. I
have attached these unwelcome conditions to the prevailing civic (or
is it non civic) to a frame of mind, the natural rights construct.
That is, I have argued that the natural rights construct has been an
enabler of such conditions; I have argued that this construct
promotes a moral position in which people are told they are free to
determine what value orientation they wish to follow. While this, on
paper, seems to patriotically bolster attitudes of freedom and
liberty, when this ideal or moral orientation is taught in schools,
youngsters have basically adopted very self-centered moral outlooks.
Young people have further solidified this collective perspective with
a youth culture that has evolved, particularly in our large urban
comprehensive high schools. The whole “liberty” thing, I have
argued, has manifested itself in a slew of antisocial behaviors from
mere impoliteness to criminal activity. Over the course of this
blog, all of these claims have been supported by research citations
or expert opinion in previous postings.
136 A
COMMUNAL WISH
(December 26, 2011)
I
have presented, through a series of postings, a moral code offered as
a foundation for a values education component of a civics/social
studies curriculum. Its particulars have been developed since my
October 17th posting. Perhaps I will edit them into a
single piece so that interested people can review this argumentation
in a more convenient format. But for now, I want to conclude this
presentation with this summary posting.
137 COMPREHENSIVENESS
OF OLD TIME FEDERALISM
(December 30, 2011)
One
of the writers that has an ongoing influence on my efforts in this
blog is Eugene J. Meehan (Meehan, E. J. (1969). Explanations in
social science: A system paradigm. Homewood, IL: The Dorsey
Press.). I have cited him before in relation to my critiques of both
the natural rights construct and the critical theory construct. Back
in 1969, he offered a set of standards by which to evaluate social
science theories or models. I applied those standards in my
critiques (I also added a couple of standards of my own). I point
out his influence here to admit that he also affects me in explaining
my own construct, the liberal federalist construct (aka federalist
theory). In the next series of postings, Meehan's concerns have
encouraged me to delve into another historical report on how a more
traditional federalism influenced the development of our national
political framework.
138 TRADITIONAL
FEDERALISM'S COMPLETENESS AND VALIDITY
(January 2, 2012)
In
the last posting, I viewed traditional federalism, the form of
federalist theory that held significant influence during the
foundation of the nation, in terms of its comprehensiveness.
Borrowing Eugene J. Meehan's standards for social science theory and
models, I was of the opinion that traditional federalism was
substantially comprehensive because the construction's implementation
of the principles of equity, which is only one aspect of the
construct, casts a wide purview over our domestic politics. Add to
this its other principles, liberty (as defined by this view) and
public virtue, this view allows any researcher or educator who uses
the theory to have a substantial base or approach to the study of
politics and governance in the US.
139 TRADITIONAL
FEDERALISM'S LACK OF CLARITY
(January 6, 2012)
I
have in this blog reviewed the historical role that federalist
thought had in the founding of the nation and its
political/governmental institution. I have also presented a moral
code based on a federalist perspective. I am presently, based on
these two prior efforts, formulating in these postings a series of
conclusions regarding the viability of what I am calling traditional
federalism – the political construct of the early American
founders. That is, using Eugene Meehan's standards for evaluating
social science theories and models, I am passing judgment on the
usefulness of traditional federalism as a model of governance and
politics in the US. So far, I have concluded that the model has a
meaningful level of comprehensiveness, but I could not form a
conclusion regarding the model's completeness and validity. This is
due to the model's assumption that our politics meaningfully includes
the varied interests making up our political landscape. There are
political commentators and scientists who question the degree to
which lower and middle income groups are able to participate. Some
argue that the system basically is of, by, and for corporate and
higher income groups. You are welcome to click on the last two
postings for explanations of these arguments.
140 CONSISTENCY
OF TRADITIONAL FEDERALISM
(January 9, 2012)
In
my attempt to pass judgment on the traditional federalism construct,
I have posted critiques on that construction's comprehensiveness,
completeness, validity, and clarity. I have done this using Meehan's
criteria for evaluating social science theories and models. This
short posting will pass judgment on the construction's consistency;
i. e., traditional federalism's ability to provide a consistent
explanation and/or description over time.
No comments:
Post a Comment