The Position of “Emotions” in Moral Education from Point of View of “Caring Approach” and “Qur’anic Ethical Teachings”; a Comparative Study

This writing aims to investigate the position of emotions in ethical education from the viewpoint of the caring approach and ethical teachings of the Qur’an. Based on the descriptive-analytical and comparative method, firstly the goals and methods of ethical education in caring approach are explained, through referring to relevant researches. Secondly, the goals and methods of ethical education are extracted from the holy Qur’an, represented in three titles of thought, feeling and behavior. Comparing the goals and methods of ethical education in the caring approach with Qur’anic teachings, finally, the position of feelings in the moral education, in the Qur’an and in the caring approach is explained and compared. The results show that, from the viewpoint of the caring approach and ethical teachings of the Qur’an, the education of ethical emotions has a high state and an important and influential role in moral education; in contrast to Noddings, who considers emotion as the basic criterion in morality, the holy Qur’an considering the moral education of man, pays attention to all three dimensions of his perception (knowledge), feeling and behavior; moreover, from the point of view of the Qur'an, the education of feelings and moral emotions of man must be based on intellect and thought.