A Discussion of Postmodern Issues Based on Dewey’s Ethics: The Example of Female Moral Education

College of Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China

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Abstract

The focus on female moral education issues allows us to reexamine the contributions of John Dewey, an American educational philosopher. Dewey’s ethics are built upon a rebellion against the universalism and rationalism that were predominant in the traditional ethics based on intrinsic manifestation and external rules. This ethical approach is primarily characterized by Dewey’s pursuit of a democratic society, as well as the emphasis he places on emotional and moral imagination. Dewey’s ethics can be seen as a means to address postmodern problems, integrating the traditional emphasis on “knowledge” with the postmodern focus on “discourse,” based on experience. However, it is worth contemplating whether this solution is effective or if it overly magnifies the power of “understanding” in its ethical system. In the dialogue with postmodern theory, perhaps what is more crucial for the myriad of postmodern issues, exemplified by female morality, is inclusion rather than understanding, as well as questioning knowledge and reconstructing its elements.