‘Moral dumbfounding’: Moral Foundations Theory for the classroom

There has been a growing literature among philosophers of education on how to frame questions of moral controversy in the classroom. Through the application of hard moral cases that may be said to leave one ‘morally dumbfounded’, I take up Michael Hand’s influential epistemic criterion and attempt to show why its monistic approach is too limited in its ability to capture the complexity of such moral dilemmas. Rather, I argue that the classroom requires a pluralist moral framework, as exemplified by the Moral Foundations Theory, developed by Jonathan Haidt. Not only does Moral Foundations Theory consider the liberal ethic of autonomy, it also extends consideration to the ethics of community and divinity, which is crucial for meeting the broader aims of moral and religious education, such as developing reason, identity and cultural understanding.