Moral sensitivity: The central question of moral education

Abstract There is more to the moral life than mere adherence to a set of moral rules or principles to which the moral agent has autonomously subscribed. Something more fundamental is required for moral personhood, requiring explication in terms of ‘sensitive perception’ in relation to the particularities pertaining to any given set of circumstances meriting a moral response. The article addresses the importance of accuracy of conceptualisation, the need for attentiveness and sensitivity in the identification of moral salience, and concludes with the role of affect in this enterprise.