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TULSI PRAJŇA
where they think rules emanate from people in power or in authority, like the parents or teachers. After this comes the stage of socionomy or conventional morality in which the rules seem to be based upon social utility. Then comes the last stages (which is rarely reached) of full moral autonomy or self accepted principles, such principles, as Kant stated - in the form of his categorical imperatives.
But we should not forget that if moral education is concerned with the manner in which we come to hold our moral beliefs, critical reflection on these states is cssential. In addition, we can think of certain criteria which concern the quality of peoples thinking in this area. Such criteria may be logical coherence, respect for truth, and breadth of relevant knowledge and understanding. We very well recognise that we do not give proper cognisance to an individuals opinions unless we are convinced that he has given proper thought to the mattter and knows what he is talking about. Another feature of education to which R.S.Peters draws our attention is that the activities they are engaged in have intrinsic values, that is, they an worthy of being pursued for their own sake. Whereas in the case of other activities, training or instruction, this is not the case. For example, we can train somebody to drive a car without any concern for the question whether he values them or not. On the other hand it is illogical to speak of man as educated and at the same time asserting that he places no value at all on any of the knowledge and understanding that he acquired while becoming cduated.
In the light of analysis of the concept of education it becomes obvious that while educating students in morality the teacher should ensure that the students develop an attitude of worthwhileness of moral behaviour.
Secondly, an autonomous moral thinking cannot be carrried out purely at intellectual level, because if we do not consider other people or relations, we are missing something very vital in moral decisions. Could we dispense with the element of emotions or human relations, then probably computer would have been the best instrument. Moral decisions, indeed, involve both "head and heart". It is not a matter purely of cognition, it essentially involves emotions too, in the sense that we must develop in us the capacity to look into other people's heart and empathetically see through into how do others feel. It involves what Downey and Kelly named as “Caring" dimension.
Now an important point emerges that needs to be examined. The point is what counts as moral 'action'. The significant point in this is of “intentionality". It has two aspects, First, an action cannot be called moral or immoral unless we establish that the individual has so acted of his own free will. It must be an act that the individual is in full sense responsible for it. If on the other hand an individual has to do an act because he is so directed by forces bevond his control, and had it been
January March 1993
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