The epiphanic frame of mind

Scholars have increasingly argued that epiphanies should play a central role in the moral education of young people. In one of the target articles of this special issue, James Pawelski concurs with this general sentiment, though he cautions against overemphasizing epiphany and disregarding ‘mundanity’ in moral education, i.e., habit formation and moral betterment in everyday experience. In this paper, we argue that separating epiphany and mundanity into two domains of experience, while conceptually appropriate, runs the risk of overlooking how epiphanies transform mundanity itself. Epiphanies possess a unique power to shift our perspective on mundane routines and learning tasks, revealing them to be much more interesting, significant and full of value than we thought them to be. We call the capacity to recognize the deeper value residing in mundane life the ‘epiphanic frame of mind,’ and make the case that cultivating it constitutes a core aim of moral education.