Class notes from Tuesday, 1/27, Part II

During the second half of class, we discussed Dewey’s article and the first two chapters of the Ethics of Teaching. We discussed how Dewey believed Aristotle to be snobbish and his article was meant to serve as a direct response to Aristotle and an attempt at resolving dualism.

In his article, Dewey acknowledges the growing social division between the learned and the unlearned, and while Aristotle believed this social division of labor occurred naturally, Dewey argued that the division of labor was not the result of natural development but rather the result of social reinforcement – much to the detriment of the lower classes.

Dewey’s reality was marked by the presence of bosses (thinkers) and laborers. Most people at this time were under the assumption that laborers didn’t think, yet Dewey found that pride, dignity, and joy were evident in certain labors.

Dewey’s main concern is that his contemporaries had taken the idea of intelligent action out of work, that is, many laborers had been pigeon-holed into certain occupations without ever receiving the education or broader awareness of other careers that existed. Laborers were trained in the specifics of one job and were given no more education than needed for that job.

Dewey argues that the ability to form one’s own purpose is liberating and any life can be liberal if the person is aware and understands the importance of their particular occupation. Moreover, the only way to arrive at this understanding is to have been given a broad enough background in education in all facets of life to truly make an informed decision & choice of occupations. Thus, one can live a liberal life, proud of their job – even those performing the least popular labors – as long as that choice of occupation was made in an educated and informed manner.

In regards to the “Ethics of Teaching” text, we discussed two cases. The first case was one in which the teacher, Mrs. Jones had called in her student, Johnnie’s father to discuss a recent fight that Johnnie had started. Upon his arrival however, Mrs. Jones noted that Johnnie’s father was drunk and excitable and clearly intended on physically punishing his son. Reacting to the situation, Mrs. Jones, attempting to protect Johnnie from physical abuse, decided to lie to his father and tell him that Johnnie did not actually start the fight. The class debated about whether what Mrs. Jones had done was right. Many agreed that they would opt to protect the student (Johnnie) as well, and that the lie did no harm. In contrast, others argued that the lie perpetuated the cycle of violence – that Johnnie would not learn to behave and control his temper and his father could continue to abuse him. Additionally, Mrs. Jones’ lies could potentially harm her reputation as a teacher. In this case, honesty appeared to be the best policy.

The second case the class discussed was one in which a scholarship athlete, Henry, needed to do well (to get at least a C) on a final paper. His professor, Cynthia, had 48 hours to grade these papers, and upon reading Henry’s, she realized that Henry had clearly plagiarized. Cynthia was at a crossroads because if she followed school protocol and failed Henry, he would lose his scholarship and probably have to leave school. With a sick mother at home, basketball seemed to be Henry’s only chance to make a better life for himself and his family. It seemed that the consequences for Henry’s actions were far greater than the average students’. As the class discussed this situation, some felt that they could not fail Henry simply because it could have a negative impact on the rest of his life. Other classmates felt that they would fail Henry because he was aware of the consequences of his actions before he plagiarized and he should not be held to different standards or receive differential treatment simply because he is an athlete. At the close of class, I think all decided that each of these situations would have to be considered on a case by case basis. It is difficult to look at ethics in a manner of black and white – I think each situation results in a varying shade of gray.