패트리샤 처칠랜드의 양심이론에 기초한 인공지능 시대 초등도덕교육의 과제와 방향

Elementary school students make moral judgments and decisions and perform ethical behaviors based on their conscience. Therefore, the formation and development of their conscience can be seen as an essential process for them to grow into ethical and moral mature individuals. Moreover, in the era of AI, the question of how to develop, use, and interact with technology is closely linked to individuals’ ethical dimensions, making conscience education for elementary school students a topic of increasing importance. On this point, Patricia Churchland presents a clear, unique, and compelling perspective on moral science. In her book Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition, she examines analytically, systematically, and empirically the origin of conscience formation in the realm of neuroscience. Neuroscience helps us understand the mechanisms of conscience formation and functioning by exploring the neural circuits related to conscience. The actions of brain structures and hormones go beyond explaining humans on a biological and neuroscientific level; they are also closely related to human psychological and social aspects and the formation and functioning of morality and conscience. Churchland perceives conscience as the ability to distinguish right from wrong, helping us to feel responsible for our actions and motivating us to make morally correct choices. She further emphasizes the fundamental bond between mothers and children, stating that “bonds give rise to caregiving, and caregiving gives rise to conscience.” Understanding the formation, operation, and functioning mechanisms of conscience enables a deeper comprehension and explanation of moral judgments and behaviors. Furthermore, an explanation of conscience from a neuroscientific perspective enhances moral education as a scientific and objective area of trust. Therefore, in this study, I examined Churchland’s theory of conscience critically and, based on this examination, discussed the direction and challenges of elementary school moral education. I propose the following directions for elementary moral education: First, understanding attachment and the formation of attachment environments. Second, reevaluating the persistence and importance of habit formation. Third, providing moral models and environments. Fourth, a need to examine the biased aspects of each child’s conscience.