Teaching as a Moral Vocation: Virtue Ethics and the Limits of Character-Based Professionalism in Peterson and Arthur's Ethics and the Good Teacher

Abstract

This review examines Ethics and the Good Teacher: Character in the Professional Domain by Andrew Peterson and James Arthur, which argues that teaching is fundamentally a moral profession grounded in ethical responsibility. The book addresses an academic audience, including teachers, education professionals, policymakers, researchers, and undergraduate and postgraduate students. Drawing on Aristotelian virtue ethics—particularly phronesis (practical wisdom)—and empirical data from United Kingdom contexts, it advances a case for character-based practice. This review finds that while the theoretical framework is substantive and the empirical data illuminating, the book would benefit from attention to implementing ethical principles within policy-constrained school environments, expanded coverage beyond UK contexts, and pedagogical tools such as reflective frameworks, rubrics, or guides to support teachers in applying its insights. Overall, the book makes a valuable contribution to the literature on professional ethics in education, though its analytical depth and cross-contextual applicability remain areas for further development.