Book Review: Negotiating Ethical Practice in Adult Education
Introduction
Elizabeth J. Burge has compiled articles related to ethical practice in adult education. The compilation begins with the philosophical attributes of ethical thinking and design. It continues with a literature review of ethics. There are four entries of applied ethics in adult education. Finally, there is a reflection on the nature of the four application entries. In Burge’s final thoughts, she discusses her beliefs on ethical practice. In this way, she draws all of the writings together to produce a conclusion regarding the dynamic, contextual nature of ethics in adult education.
Book Review
Burge begins her compilation with an article regarding the philosophical inquiry of the nature of ethics, giving credence to meta-ethics. This foundational theory requires critical inquiry into how we think about ethics. Author Anthony Weston, states that in most decisions there are no real answers, only unclear problems, but the task is to explore and reflect on individual value systems (Weston, 2009). Ultimately, the idea is to collaboratively investigate and dialogue about the problem at hand, without necessarily having to come to a resolution. …show more content…
Questions arise regarding the necessity, responsibility and/or requirements for a code of ethics in adult education, and further questions arise regarding the professionalization of adult education. Sork describes numerous ethical codes previously implemented throughout history. For example, he discusses the impact a code of ethics could have had on the history of practice in psychology, had it been in place from the beginning. Additionally, he questions the premise that the field of adult education is “inherently virtuous and/or morally harmless” (Sork, 2009, p.
Introduction
Elizabeth J. Burge has compiled articles related to ethical practice in adult education. The compilation begins with the philosophical attributes of ethical thinking and design. It continues with a literature review of ethics. There are four entries of applied ethics in adult education. Finally, there is a reflection on the nature of the four application entries. In Burge’s final thoughts, she discusses her beliefs on ethical practice. In this way, she draws all of the writings together to produce a conclusion regarding the dynamic, contextual nature of ethics in adult education.
Book Review
Burge begins her compilation with an article regarding the philosophical inquiry of the nature of ethics, giving credence to meta-ethics. This foundational theory requires critical inquiry into how we think about ethics. Author Anthony Weston, states that in most decisions there are no real answers, only unclear problems, but the task is to explore and reflect on individual value systems (Weston, 2009). Ultimately, the idea is to collaboratively investigate and dialogue about the problem at hand, without necessarily having to come to a resolution. …show more content…
Questions arise regarding the necessity, responsibility and/or requirements for a code of ethics in adult education, and further questions arise regarding the professionalization of adult education. Sork describes numerous ethical codes previously implemented throughout history. For example, he discusses the impact a code of ethics could have had on the history of practice in psychology, had it been in place from the beginning. Additionally, he questions the premise that the field of adult education is “inherently virtuous and/or morally harmless” (Sork, 2009, p.