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Change the People or Change the Policy? On the Moral Education of Antiracists.

Authors :
Madva, Alex
Kelly, Daniel
Brownstein, Michael
Source :
Ethical Theory & Moral Practice; Mar2024, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p91-110, 20p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

While those who take a "structuralist" approach to racial justice issues are right to call attention to the importance of social practices, laws, etc., they sometimes go too far by suggesting that antiracist efforts ought to focus on changing unjust social systems rather than changing individuals' minds. We argue that while the "either/or" thinking implied by this framing is intuitive and pervasive, it is misleading and self-undermining. We instead advocate a "both/and" approach to antiracist moral education that explicitly teaches how social structures influence ideas about race and how ideas about race shape, sustain, and transform social structures. Ideally, antiracist moral education will help people see how social change and moral progress depend on the symbiotic relations between individuals and structures. We articulate a conception of "structure-facing virtue" that exemplifies this hybrid approach to illuminate the pivotal role moral education plays in the fight for racial justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
13862820
Volume :
27
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Ethical Theory & Moral Practice
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
176032588
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-023-10363-7