Virtue Leads to Knowledge and Skills, but Knowledge and Skills Don’t Lead to Virtue

Education has many purposes. Its most fundamental one is to make the world better. Why else do societies educate their young?

Today’s American policymakers seem to believe the world becomes better when young people acquire the knowledge and skills measured on standardized tests. Therefore public schools teach knowledge and skills. This good, except when it occurs at the expense of teaching virtues, which is exactly what has happened since the publication of “A Nation at Risk” in 1983.

Teachers and principals know we have taken what is peripheral (knowledge and skills) and put it at the center, forcing what is essential (virtue) to the periphery. They also know this is unfortunate because virtue leads to knowledge and skills, but knowledge and skills don’t lead to virtue. Try it sometime — try to learn new knowledge or skills without a generous teacher and the virtue capacities of understanding, strong character, and humility; and the virtue capabilities of imagination and courage. Virtues are at the heart of becoming educated, so modeling and teaching them belongs at the center of the public school experience.

This is not an argument about the morality embedded in different virtues.  It is a philosophical and educational argument. Those who are wary of teaching virtues in public schools need to explain why they don’t want their children to develop understanding, imagination, strong character, courage, humility or generosity.

These have always been, and always will be, the virtues of the educated person. It is time teachers and principals knew that, too.

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