Exploring virtue diversity to develop a multiculturally sensitive character education

Abstract

This paper examines virtue diversity, aiming to clarify what virtue is within virtue ethics to propose multiculturally sensitive guidelines for character education that balance universal and local considerations in a globalised society. The paper charts the contrasts between theories in virtue ethics of local and universal virtues on a multidimensional virtue spectrum. Subsequently, the paper moves on to Aristotle’s notion of virtue as both universal (grounded in human nature) and context-sensitive (linked to civic virtue), arguing that Aristotle’s concepts of the ‘golden mean’ and phronesis (practical wisdom) can help incorporate multicultural considerations into character education. Subsequently, the paper draws on contributions from Alasdair MacIntyre and Martha Nussbaum to elaborate the duality of virtue (both local and universal) in Aristotle’s theory. The paper concludes by advocating for an acknowledgement of this duality and offering an example of a truly multicultural neo-Aristotelian character education framework to address gaps in current discourses.