Tradição filosófica e ética na educação da atualidade: aproximações pedagógicas

Abstract

This research aims to analyze texts from the philosophical tradition that may contribute to the development of ethical relationships within the contemporary school context. The investigation is guided by the following research question: in what sense can the philosophical tradition contribute to the development of ethical relations in contemporary school education? Faced with the recognition of a widespread ethical crisis in various spheres of social life, this study seeks to understand how three philosophical perspectives – Aristotelian phrónesis, Kantian practical reason (with emphasis on the categorical imperative), and Levinasian ethics of alterity – can provide a foundation for more humanizing, reflective educational practices that are sensitive to diversity and committed to present challenges. The adopted methodology was bibliographic research, making use of Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutical method. The study was organized into three axes: (1) Aristotelian phrónesis as practical wisdom oriented toward ethical action in everyday school life; (2) Kantian ethics and its practical reason, confronted with the cultural and subjective diversity of the school environment; and (3) Levinasian ethics of alterity, centered on listening, welcoming, and responsibility for the Other. By integrating these approaches, the research points to possible ways to contribute to the development of concrete school practices, acknowledging their tensions, limitations, and possibilities. It is a reflection that seeks to build fairer and more supportive relationships in the educational context, where ethical-pedagogical formation is carried out critically and contextually, in a way that is sensitive to diversities and to the challenges of contemporary school life. The study concludes that the current ethical crisis reveals a lack of ethical foundations which, over time, have historically sustained social relations but are now relativized or neglected. It was also observed that the articulation among these thinkers reveals complementary dimensions of ethics – from the practice of virtue and reason to responsibility toward the Other – allowing the rethinking of educational experience as a process of encounters and mutual transformations, ultimately oriented toward the common good.