Moralsk opdragelse

Pligtens begreb i Grue-Sørensens tænkning

Resumé

The paper explores the concept of duty in the moral philosophy of the Danish educational philosopher Knud
Grue-Sørensen. The aim is to discuss how Grue-Sørensen’s view on duty might contribute to answering the
question of what the content of moral education should be. Grue-Sørensen is inspired by the German philosopher
Immanuel Kant, but even though he in his prize dissertation from 1937 addresses the possibility of
objective morality, he adopts a more pragmatic approach regarding what it means to do one’s duty. In an
actual Danish daily life context, the concept of duty has lost its moral meaning and decayed into a matter of
domestic duties such as cleaning and dishwashing. Grue-Sørensen’s view on duty in an educational context
might contribute to revitalizing the concept in a more pragmatic sense, which is useful for teachers, social
educators, children, and parents.