A formação do caráter moral dos filhos : uma abordagem na perspectiva da ética das virtudes

Abstract

The dissertation presents a study on the formation of children's moral character, considering especially the moral quality of parental relationships. The main questions are: a structured family and legislation that protects the rights of its members are sufficient to ensure a proper formation on the character of children in the virtues? Do parents' freedom and responsibility, when properly applyed on children obligation, ensure moral formation? The Aristotelian Ethics seems to offer theoretical support useful to understand and justify the formation on moral character of the children, which parents should enruse them. In order to answer these and other questions, it is necessary to analyze and interpret the changes that have occurred within the Brazilian family, emphasizing their moral, social and legal value in face of modern society; to address the importance of the family and its influence on the good formation of the children's character, considering the aspects of ethical action and the conception of Aristotelian happiness. In order to ensure the full development of moral virtues from childhood, especially in cases where parents submit their children to family conflicts, the presence of the law appears to be necessary, at least as a corrective to the action. However, the law itself may be deficient or even misunderstood by the agent, when the agent does not have a virtuous character, but the lack of the law, in many cases, may difficult the learning and the realization of the common well. Regardless of the family and social context, children's right to a proper character’s formation is a requirement that is independent of the law, which parents must achieve.