From ‘moral loss’ to ‘moral reconstruction’? A critique of ethical perspectives on challenging the neoliberal hegemony in UK universities in the 21st century

摘要

Several authors posit the notion that universities have experienced ‘moral loss’ over the last 15 years under the sustained influence of neoliberal education policies. However, whilst some consensus exists around the causes and effects of moral loss, there appears to be little agreement about how ‘moral reconstruction’ can be enacted. This paper explores the academic discourse on moral loss and moral reconstruction. It concludes that action-based approaches to the moral reconstruction of universities such as recognition and reward policies are unlikely to alter the current utilitarian trend in higher education. In the context of the contemporary world, the restoration of an ‘academic community’ founded on ‘higher moral purpose’ appears to be a remote aspiration. This is because the university has evolved into an integral part of the wider socio-economic system, which itself has fractured under the same neoliberal influences.View full textDownload full textKeywordsmoral reconstruction, ethics, universities, neoliberalism, modernity, marketisationRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.698987