Abstract:

Most of the traditional moral philosophy derogates imagination, while Dewey pays full attention to the moral value of imagination, and through clarifying the two ways of the function of moral imagination: “empathy projection” and “exploring various possibilities in the moral context”,he leaves important enlightenment for the study of moral education. Although Kohlberg claims to be a follower of Dewey’s moral philosophy, his Moral Cognitive-Development Theory suspends Dewey’s thought of moral imagination. This kind of suspension may cause problems to Kohlberg’s Moral Cognitive-Development Theory and its application,and reflects the long-term aphasia of moral imagination in the field of moral education research. Moral imagination should be a new theoretical growth point in the field of moral education research.

Key words: moral imagination, imagination, Dewey, Kohlberg, moral education