ETHICS

My Ethical philosophy of life

My Ethical philosophy of life

Ones personal philosophy cannot be based on a single set of ethics. A personal philosophy is a combination of normative and applied ethics. My ethical philosophy is an eclectic composite of the virtues and theories derived from Aristotle, Kant, and the teleological theories. Normative ethics, which include the virtue theory, duty theories, and teleological theories, are critical in determining an approach not only to education, but also to all aspects of ones life.

In education, the combination of different components from each theory complements the set of beliefs that a person combines to create a strong system of beliefs and values by which to live and function. In education, one can use educational philosophies to direct him/her in guiding children along the path of enlightenment. Five key educational philosophies are useful in empowering one to recognize in the field of education including Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Existentialism, and Behaviorism (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). However, it is necessary to have a personal ethical foundation, which underlies the educational philosophies that are developed through social, historical, and environmental influences in ones life.

My ability to tackle certain dilemmas requires that I have set goals based on strong beliefs and values to provide the guidance I need to engage in personal pursuits. Therefore, I prefer looking at the ethical beliefs as a guide to my beliefs in understanding my personal beliefs and goals because a certain set of beliefs guides one in making logical decisions when he/she face certain dilemmas.

Fundamentally, I believe the tenets that I have selected from the various schools of philosophy correspond to my ideal of the perfect approach to educational leadership. In addition, this eclectic approach allows for an overlap of the branches of philosophy in a way that no single school of thought would be capable of overlapping. From virtues, deontological duties, teleological, ethics, metaphysics, and logic would be covered just by the very nature of the philosophy upon which school of thought each is based. The educational environment should act as model for the students to instill American virtues.

Behaviorism also overlaps with the ethics, as it develops the guidelines for appropriate behavior of individuals. Progressivism covers four of the branches and includes: epistemology, axiology, aesthetics, and logic. Epistemology is an investigation into how we learn. The purpose of progressivism is to seek ways to accommodate the student and teachers ...