ETHICAL EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES BASED ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF ADELA CORTINA

Abstract

How can we educate critical and responsible individuals in times of ethical erosion and social inequality? This is the central question that drives this article, whose main objective is to analyze how pedagogical practices based on ethical values can contribute to the formation of morally autonomous subjects committed to social transformation. This qualitative study is grounded in an exploratory and descriptive bibliographic review, anchored in classical and contemporary authors from moral philosophy and education – such as Paulo Freire, Émile Durkheim, Adela Cortina, and Martha Nussbaum – as well as official Brazilian education documents, including the National Curricular Parameters (PCNs) and the Common National Curricular Base (BNCC). The results show that ethics should not be addressed merely as isolated content, but as a transversal axis experienced in school interactions, pedagogical strategies, and the hidden curriculum. Practices such as dialogue circles, contextualization of moral dilemmas, active methodologies, and conflict mediation emerge as powerful tools for developing students’ ethical awareness. Additionally, recent Brazilian empirical studies, particularly those focused on Restorative Justice, demonstrate the effectiveness of ethical approaches in fostering a culture of peace and collective responsibility. It is concluded that ethical education – when understood as a dialogical, reflective, and situated process – plays a fundamental role in civic formation and the strengthening of democracy, especially in contexts marked by inequality and polarization.