I had sooner play cards against a man who was quite skeptical about ethics, but bred to believe that a gentleman does not cheat, than against an irreproachable moral philosopher who had been brought up among sharpers. In battle it is not syllogisms that will keep the reluctant nerves and muscles to their post in the third hour of the bombardment. Over the past two decades, the revolution in the theories of how children learn to become mature, moral adults has paralleled a decline in observable moral behavior.
Many educators consider noncoercion and moral autonomy to be of great value.
Some are not convinced that character training can be accomplished by the direct teaching of time-honored values such as honesty, courage, patience, respect for authority, respect for oneself, patriotism, and compassion. The new theories evolved from a notion that good moral instincts lie inert in children and can be nurtured through sensitive moral reasoning. These theories often postulate an ultimate world view of relativism. Whether comparing cultures or the ethical standards of individuals, relativism affords no basis for holding one another to any standard of decency. Regardless of which atrocity one might seek to oppose, the very notion of a coherent appeal to conscience would be meaningless.