Socrates is Alive and Well! The Case for Dialogue and Critical Thinking In Values and Ethics Education

This paper underlines the need for teaching morals and values through critical reflection and active genuine dialogue. It promotes the pedagogy of dialogue within educational institutions, the creation of multi-dimensional learning environments for the cultivation and dissemination of intersubjective understandings of diverse moral world views, the use of critical thinking skills and intellectual traits of mind for ethical decision making, and the communication of values and morals through dialogue. An argument is advanced to show how reflective dialogue lays the groundwork for the creation of initial objective relations in the classroom and forms the basis for the pragmatic implementation of an interpersonal connection characterized by feelings of tolerance, empathy, and respect for the dignity of human beings and their way of life