Rasa Aškinytė

Analysis of Ethical Problems Based on Theory and Practice of Logical Thinking: An Educational Model

Analysis of Ethical Problems Based on Theory and Practice of Logical Thinking: An Educational Model

Rasa Aškinytė

Vilnius University, Lithuania

Abstract

Critical thinking is an essential skill in all fields, including education of ethics and moral reasoning itself. The fundamental thesis and research object of this presentation is that Aristotelian logic may foster critical thinking in moral education and beyond.

This presentation will explore a few theoretical fundamentals, including the interconnectedness between critical and logical thinking, the interface between ethics and logic as well as the possibility to teach/learn ethics following the rules of logical thinking.

Besides the theoretical background, the aim of this research was to create and test a framework for applicability and relevance of Aristotelian logic in lessons of ethics in secondary schools, to develop a methodology and to analyse its practical applicability. The experiment was conducted in 2008-2009 with students of 9-10 grades (98 participants in the experimental group and 102 in the control group). For 6 months, a teacher implemented the methodology of moral learning, including logical thinking. Based on the quantitative test on logical thinking, the treatment group obtained a significantly higher post-test score compared to the control group, which suggests that the methodology had helped to improve students’ logical thinking in the moral domain. The experiment was partly repeated in 2024 with the aim to test moral reasoning skills and include logics into the moral education programme.

Logical (e.g., critical) thinking helps to move away from rigidly categorical thinking and to be able to make reflective judgements about the adequacy of varying perspectives. That helps to achieve the main goal of moral education (and education in general) – for school kids to become better thinkers and better people.

Keywords: Critical thinking, logic, ethics, moral education, moral reasoning.

Biography

Rasa Aškinytė is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University. Lithuania. With a career of more than 25 years in various universities, more than 10 years at the Council of Europe (the Pestalozzi Programme), she has gained experience as a lecturer and researcher on national and international levels. Her primary research focus revolves around the possibility to teach/learn ethics following the rules of logical thinking and intercultural education. She has co-authored the General Education Curriculum, authored a national textbook for 7-9th grades in ethics, a textbook for primary school children, a book for teachers Philosophy for the little ones, and various other textbooks for school and university students. Beyond academia, Rasa Aškinytė is a psychotherapist and writer. Email: .