Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
In an era of technological disruption and declining trust in institutions, Ethics and Educative Leadership offers a bold reconceptualisation of leadership as moral craftsmanship - the disciplined exercise of ethical judgement in complex, contested contexts.
Integrating Western, Indigenous and contemporary philosophical traditions, Reynold J. S. Macpherson develops a plural, non-foundational framework that moves beyond narrow managerial models and single-theory approaches. Bridging philosophy, research and practice, the book introduces a clear moral architecture—purposes, principles, relationships and consequences—to guide decision-making across diverse settings.
From educational institutions to public governance and the challenges of artificial intelligence, this is an essential resource that will equip scholars, practitioners and policymakers with the tools to lead responsibly, reflexively and with public accountability.
Reynold J. S. Macpherson is a New Zealand scholar of educational leadership, public policy, and moral philosophy, known for advancing the concept of educative leadership as a form of ethical, inquiry-based practice. His work integrates pragmatism, virtue ethics, and non-foundational epistemology with Indigenous perspectives to address leadership in plural and contested contexts. He has held international senior academic and advisory roles across universities and government sectors, and has published widely on governance, curriculum, and institutional reform. His recent scholarship focuses on moral–epistemic worlds, democratic accountability, and the ethical challenges of emerging technologies in education and public leadership.
Part 1. A Structural Map
Chapter 1. Purpose, Methodology, Argument, and Contribution
Part 2. Greek Sources of Moral Philosophy in Educative Leadership
Chapter 2. From Myth to Reason: Presocratic Ethics and Their Legacy in Educative Leadership
Chapter 3. Dialogue, Virtue, and Knowledge: Socratic Contributions to Educative Leadership Epistemologies
Chapter 4. Plato and Aristotle on Educative Leadership: Virtue, Reason, and Human Flourishing
Part 3. Diverse Ancient Philosophical Influences
Chapter 5. Educative Leadership and Hellenistic Ethics: Stoic, Cynic, Sceptical, and Epicurean Perspectives
Chapter 6. Reimagining Educative Leadership through Ancient and Non-Western Ethics
Chapter 7. Moral Leadership in Education: Insights from Roman, Christian, Kantian, and Utilitarian Ethics
Part 4. Modern Philosophical and Cultural Perspectives
Chapter 8. From Principles to Practice: Twentieth-Century Ethics and Educative Leadership
Chapter 9. Indigenous Moral Philosophies and the Reconstruction of Educative Leadership
Chapter 10. Rethinking Leadership Ethics: From Foundationalism to Non-Foundational Moral Inquiry
Part 5. Applications and Critiques of Ethical Leadership
Chapter 11. Educative Leadership as Moral and Metaphysical Praxis: A Pragmatic–Holist Perspective on Organisation
Chapter 12. Learning to Lead: Reflexive Practice and the Formation of Educative Leadership
Chapter 13. Moral Appraisal of Educative Leadership: A Non-Foundational and Developmental Framework
Part 6. Leadership of Institutional Learning and Change
Chapter 14. Leadership of Learning: Curriculum, Knowledge, Pedagogy, and Ethical Formation
Chapter 15. Integrating Ethics, Epistemology, and Learning: A Revised Constructivist Theory of Educative Leadership
Chapter 16. Reimagining Institutional Change: Educative Leadership, Ethical Pluralism, and Pragmatic Holism
Part 7. Future Directions for Educative Leadership
Chapter 17. Reimagining Educative Leadership for Pluralistic Societies: Pragmatic Holism, Critical Multiculturalism, and Democratic Justice
Chapter 18. Testing Educative Leadership beyond Education: Moral–Epistemic Configurations, Pragmatic Holism, and Global Health
Chapter 19. Educative Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Moral–Epistemic Configurations, Human Agency, and Institutional Governance
Chapter 20. Educative Leadership as Moral Craftsmanship: Pragmatic–Holist Theory Building for Plural and Uncertain Worlds