ABSTRACT
In an intense period of educational reform, good leaders are judged by standards of moral purpose. Drawing upon Alasdair Macintyre (1994), the chapter argues that the rhetoric of moral purpose is more aligned to emotivist and morally manipulative modes of policymaking. However, the chapter suggests that moral purpose is not to be disdained, for it points to the vital need for an ethical discussion in our education systems. The chapter addresses the challenges of reinstating trust in ethical debate and theory-making in order to ask questions for leadership concerning, for example, which means and ends are more productive for social justice.
