Using stories to teach business ethics: Developing character through examples of admirable actions

People have long recognized that knowing and doing are vastly different. A person might be skilled in abstract moral reasoning and do it brilliantly in a classroom setting but act despicably in everyday matters. Instructing students in ethical principles and moral reasoning skills is one thing. Incr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Teaching business ethics (Dordrecht) 2003-05, Vol.7 (2), p.93-105
Main Author: WATSON, Charles E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business ethics
Classroom discussion
Classrooms
Curriculum subjects: programmes and methods
Desire
Educational sciences
Ideological education, moral education
Moral education
Storytelling
Students
Teaching
Teaching methods
Values
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Summary:People have long recognized that knowing and doing are vastly different. A person might be skilled in abstract moral reasoning and do it brilliantly in a classroom setting but act despicably in everyday matters. Instructing students in ethical principles and moral reasoning skills is one thing. Increasing their desires to act ethically and to behave in admirable ways is something else. This paper advocates an ancient method of moral education that contemporary methods overshadow: the telling of stories. Examples of people acting ethically, behaving heroically in a sea of temptations, show young minds what ideals look like in practice and encourage these learners to act admirably themselves. Anecdotes of moral truths in action appeal to the mind and the heart, instructing the intellect and increasing the desire to emulate what civilization has come to honor as right and good. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1382-6891
1573-1944