ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic raises numerous questions about our values, including educational values relating to Social and Emotional Learning. Most matters relating to Social and Emotional Learning and its sub-category of character education may be regarded as falling within the field of psychology. Examining ideas and assumptions about ‘character’ from the perspectives of diverse intellectual traditions enhances our appreciation of the multiple dimensions of character. It also exposes problems arising from approaches to character education which are grounded in research generated within rigidly defined disciplinary boundaries. A phenomenology of moral emotions recognizes the full spectrum of emotions, ‘negative’ as well as ‘positive’, as integral to the human experience. Other-centered moral emotions such as love, hope and guilt open up the interpersonal connection. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
