Introducing the book
Why Teaching Art Is Teaching Ethics
by John Rethorst
Foreword by Mark Johnson
Published by Springer Nature, 2023
These are important ideas. I’m impressed by the central discussion of moral density and the associated exploration of the moral imagination, and the connection of both with specific works of literature. Rethorst has a real idea.
—Martha Nussbaum
Density points to a central difficulty for ethics of principle. Nice work!
—Nel Noddings
A major contribution.
—Mark Johnson
Can imagination, emotion and art enlighten our sense of right and wrong? We look at this question through the lens of moral philosophy with contributions from cognitive science, psychology and neurology.
If moral thinking is simply logical reasoning or following God-given law, why did the poet Shelley say that “the great instrument of moral good is the imagination”? Why does ethical reasoning tend towards absolutes: something is either right or wrong, period, while a thoughtful minority values the “priority of the particular” — that unique aspects of a situation may come closer to the heart of the matter than any general rules could? Are emotions, as many philosophers in history have theorized, only a distraction from the clear perception of duty, or do feelings add something important, even critical, to how we judge good and bad, right and wrong? Can great works of art and literature embody imagination, the particular, and emotions to illuminate human life in ways crucial to ethical thinking?
This book introduces an original idea in philosophy, “moral density,” which for the first time elucidates the profound relation between art and ethics. Written for the literate layperson, an academic or technical background is not necessary, so this book will be of interest not only to philosophers and educators, but to all who are concerned with what is good, and how to see it and teach it.
Comments on the author’s previous papers in this area, e.g. “Moral Density: Why Teaching Art is Teaching Ethics,” published in the journal Philosophy and Literature (43:1, April 2019):
“I read it with great enthusiasm and was especially impressed by how you drew on various sources (and were not an ideological apostle for a single school)… sure got me thinking and clarifying my own positions.”
— Raymond Boisvert, Professor of Philosophy, Siena College
“Extremely interesting.”
— Jonathan Bennett, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Syracuse University
“Delighted to have your very fine piece in our pages… thanks again for the excellent work.”
— Garry Hagberg, Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics, Bard College, and editor
of Philosophy and Literature
“Well-written and the argument holds together nicely.”
— P. Lance Ternasky, Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Education and Human
Services, Western Illinois University
“Most interesting… very suggestive.”
— Alasdair MacIntyre, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
“Well done… persuasive… this is a subtle and powerful kind of moral education.”
— Joseph Novak, Professor Emeritus of Education, Cornell University
“You make connections other people don’t make.”
— Satya Mohanty, Professor of English, Cornell University
“The topic is interesting and important… [your treatment is] provocative… very uplifting to me…
damn good.”
— Donald Arnstine, Professor Emeritus of Education, University of California
“A fine article: imaginative, well-crafted, and informative… I am so glad to be able to include
this piece in the issue.”
— Carol Witherell, Professor Emerita of Education, Lewis & Clark College, and editor
of Journal of Moral Education
“I really like your article a lot. You pull together a variety of sources into a very powerful and
convincing argument… and you make a crucial connection between aesthetics and ethics…
very helpful.”
— Mark Tappan, Professor of Education, Colby College
The author has taught at Cornell University and other colleges and schools in the United States and Europe. Beyond the academic community, he has been a railroad telegraph operator, newspaper reporter and photographer, a sailor on a polar icebreaker, has worked on a dairy farm, written computer software, and lived and studied in a Zen Buddhist monastery. Contact: jrethorst -at- yahoo -dot- com