According to The New International Webster's Comprehensive Dictionary of English Language, say 'character' has many definitions, but here we will only take two meanings. Meaning First from 'character' the combination of qualities distinguishing any person or class of persons.
Meanwhile, the meaning second is, high qualities; moral force.[1]. If we look at the first definition which means 'a combination of qualities that distinguish each person or class of people', this shows minimal relevance between a person's character or moral message with the good values intended by character education.
Definition according to Webster's This is more inclined towards a person's quality, degree, or class. Good moral values or attitudes of respect and responsibility are not mentioned in the first meaning.
From this understanding of character, it can be identified that "no" aspects of piety or elevation are found. morals. Character is simply understood as the combination of qualities that distinguish a person or class of people.
The second meaning of the definition above is 'high quality and moral strength'. The meaning of character in this definition, although not entirely encompassing religious righteousness, is somewhat related to morals, which were previously defined as high quality.
High quality, in a somewhat ambiguous sense, is not entirely clear what height of quality is meant. Is it a person's social quality, individual quality, or the quality of a person's attitudes, actions, and deeds?
This is still interpreted as an incomplete definition. This is because the quality understood may differ from what is meant by the definition of character. Furthermore, the meaning of character, which refers to "moral strength" in the second definition, is understood here to be related to character.
Even though the assumption is, character education and moral education starting from a moral crisis. The first definition in Webster's should emphasize the meaning moral education not a combination or quality and class of a person.
Then, different definitions are summarized in the dictionary. Collin Cobuild English Dictionary. It says here, ccharacter is a person's personality that is usually recognized in relation to how they can be trusted to be honest.
In addition, a person is considered to have character if he has the ability to face difficult, unpleasant or dangerous situations.[2] Meanwhile, according to The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, character is defined as:
"The comprehensive set of ethical and intellectual dispositions of a person. Intellectual virtues- like carefulness in the evaluation of evidence- promote, for one, the practice of seeking truth. Moral or ethical virtues- including traits like courage and generosity, dispose persons not only to choices and action but also to attitude and emotions.[3]
A loose translation is “A comprehensive set of ethical and intellectual dispositions of a person. Intellectual virtues such as careful evaluation of instructions, for example, the practice of seeking truth. Moral or ethical virtues, including traits such as courage and generosity, shape people not only in choices and actions but also in attitudes and emotions.”
Next, the definition according to The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy explaining the term character is:
"A person's character is the total sum of dispositions to action (including thinking and saying). An action is (apparently) out of character, it does not conform to the pattern the person has so far exhibited, although it may be then later to appear. Actions are derivatively good or bad, right or wrong in so far as they would have been the actions of a virtuous person."[4]
This means, "A person's character is the sum of his or her dispositions to act (including thinking and speaking). An action (seemingly) outside that character, not in accordance with the pattern that the person has shown, may have appeared later and still does. The resulting action is good or bad, right or wrong to the extent that it becomes the action of a virtuous person."
These are some definitions of character in various dictionaries. (dictionary). Definition character Next, it will be explained from the Western figures in part two.
Wallahua'lâm bish shawââb
[1] The New International Webster's Comprehensive Dictionary of English Language. Deluxe Encyclopedic Edition (Florida: Trident Press International, 1996), “character” p. 223
[2] Collin Cobuild English Dictionary, The University of Birmingham, Colin Cobuild, (London: Harper Collin Publisher, 1996). “character”
[3]Robert Audi, The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, (United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, Second Edition, 1995), “character”, 130.
[4] Simon Blackburn, Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, (Great Britain: Oxford University Press, second Edition, 2005). “character”, 59.
