Howard Radest - Böcker

The teaching of ethics and moral values in the schools is an issue that is currently surrounded by public confusion and complaint about the failure of teachers and the teaching system. This thought provoking study examines the foundations of moral education from a philosophical and practical perspective. It analyzes some of the typical expectations that cannot be met in the present day approach, and recommends that the teaching of ethics be treated with `theater' as the metaphor, dialogue as the genre, and Socrates as the model. Seen as a necessary and unavoidable classroom activity, moral education is presented from a humanist point of view, with emphasis on the developmental approach of Jean Piaget and his followers, while pointing out the limitations of psychological methods. The author's introduction provides a fascinating overview of the realistic concept that the philosopher's world and the school's world must come together; that moral education needs its own space, faculty and curriculum, and cannot be implemented as an extra or added-on program.In the search for clarification of a relevant approach to the teaching of ethics Howard Radest points out that there can be no clear distinct answer of final wisdom on the subject, and that discussion must go on continually. The findings of research studies are blended with the practice of bringing ethical reasoning to the classroom, and a five-level curriculum is outlined in which moral education is introduced without religious prescription, and which allows administrators to think about ethics in education in a pluralistic society. An important work on a subject of continuing significance today, this study will be welcomed by parents, teachers, administrators and religious leaders.

There is currently much confusion about the nature of humanism and a good deal of interest in its point of view. As the object of attack and suspicion by fundamentalists, conservatives, and traditional religionists, Howard B. Radest believes that humanism deserves a clear and responsible treatment. He accomplishes this in this book by clarifying the nature of humanism in historical and current thought. The Enlightenment, Radest states, gave birth to a number of humanist values that are still being worked out in today's societies. He reconstructs how humanist values have been considered dangerous by those who fear a change in the status quo. Humanism, Radest maintains, is the true descendant of the age of reason and freedom.In this unique volume, humanism is viewed as being misunderstood by both traditionalists and the humanists themselves. Radest does not wish to disparage traditional beliefs, but he emphasizes that humanism is a legitimate philosophical, ideological, and religious alternative--a party to the current struggle for a postmodern life philosophy. The Devil and Secular Humanism examines humanism in a more comprehensive way than most current literature, and it includes an assessment of the prospects for humanism in the years ahead. It will be of great use to a literate, but nontechnical, audience who are engaged in philosophy, religion, law, and politics.

Radest reviews the history and present practice of community service in the United States. While appreciative of the genuine contributions of community service programs to the development of schools and society, the author believes that hidden behind good intentions and willing energies there is a strain of ambivalence that cannot be ignored (such as when a citizen is sentenced by the court to perform a number of hours of community service). He analyzes philosophically and psychologically this ambivalence, employing his experience in the field, his observations of school and community-based programs around the country, as well as his point of view as an educator and social critic.

Beginning with the thesis that Humanism has its roots both in the Enlightenment and in Transcendentalism, this book explores the consequences of taking such a point of view. Radest criticizes the desertion of Enlightenment values such as freedom, human solidarity, and rationality, as well as the failure of Humanists to understand the subjective and emotional features of their history. Out of this exploration, which is a consequence of both personal experience and philosophic analysis, Radest concludes that Humanism, and by implication, modernism are still dynamic and relevant modes of response to the problems of human beings.