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Criticisms Of Kohlberg's Moral Theory

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Kohlberg believed that there is 3 levels of morality which can be broken down into a further 6 stages: 1. Pre-conventional morality; At this stage, our moral codes are set by the adults in our lives. This generally depends on the consequences for going against the rules set out by our parents. Kohlberg stated that this level generally occurs up to and sometimes over the age of 9. This level can be broken down into 2 minor stages- • Stage 1:”Pleasure/Pain Orientation” (Psychology and Life, 2013); The child is well behaved due to an awareness that there will be negative consequences such as punishment. • Stage 2:”Cost-Benefit Orientation; Reciprocity” (Psychology and Life, 2013); Cost-benefit orientation is all about the idea of an eye for …show more content…

• Stage 6: “Ethical Principle Orientation” (Psychology and Life, 2013); The main aim of stage 6 is to create a fair and just world where justice can be achieved Carol Gilligan’s Criticisms of Kohlberg Gilligan had some major criticisms of Kohlberg’s theory which she addressed in her book ‘In A Different Voice’ (1982). One of Gilligan’s main issues was the fact that there was a male biased viewpoint due to the fact that he did not have any women in his research sample. According to Gilligan’s research, women tend to value caring over justice leaving Kohlberg’s study one sided or “biased”. Culture and Morality Gold et al. conducted a study in 2014 which involved the “trolley problem”. This study is one that has previously been conducted as a research method for morals and moral reasoning, such as Thompson, 1985, but in this case the aim was to study the way culture affects morals. They analysed British and Chinese participants. Scenario …show more content…

Psychologists nowadays research this through the use of theories from Piaget and Kohlberg to name a few. Piaget’s theory of moral development aimed to connect children’s cognitive development to their moral judgment. Kohlberg expanded on Piaget’s ideas and went on to name what he believes to be the 3 levels of morality. Gilligan’s criticism of Kohlberg’s theory shines a light on the fact that Kohlberg only used men as subjects for his study, this led to the study being biased. Gold et al. emphasised that cultural differences often lead to different moral reasoning in

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“Young children are just beginning to learn how to discriminate between right and wrong; in other words, they are developing a sense of morality” (Levine, 2016). They simply are developing the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong form themselves, but what the moral development helps them to know the difference in right and wrong and the best interest for others rather than themselves. “So, what is understood about morality as a child in middle childhood, is generally the level of reasoning most individuals will use in moral dilemmas or judging the morality of situations” (S. Tulane, personal communication, April 18, 2017). This development has an influence on everything that happens around them and the behaviors around

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Because of this, she is on the lowest level of Kohlberg 's Stages of Moral Development. Kohlberg 's Stages of Moral Development is a scale that rates how people make decisions and stand for what is right. There are six levels; level one being where young children act, and level six, where few adults ever reach. People at level one make decisions to avoid getting in trouble. People at level six would put their lives on the line for what they believe is right.

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(92). This shows that Lennie is a level one when judged on Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning because his actions are all based on how George’s reaction will be and if George will be mad or not. Stage one of level one Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning is Obedience and Punishment Orientation. This is the stage where the individual is good to avoid being punished and if someone is being punished that means that they have done bad. Stage Two is Individualism and Exchange.

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One critique is that conscience is shaped by cultural and societal influences. Moral values and ethical principles are not fixed or universal but evolve over time within different societies and cultures. These values are influenced by a range of factors such as religion, philosophy, social norms, and individual experiences. Consequently, the presence of a universal conscience could be better understood as a reflection of shared human experiences and collective social constructions rather than as empirical evidence of a transcendent deity. Moreover, the universality of conscience can be attributed to the shared values and ethical principles that humanity has developed over time.

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He also defends his theory against charges of relativism, arguing that while there may be different cultural expressions of morality, there are still universal moral principles that apply to all human beings. In conclusion, The Moral Powers: A Study of Human Nature is a thought-provoking and insightful book that offers a compelling account of the nature of human morality. By grounding moral thought in the nature of human beings, Hacker provides a naturalistic alternative to the conventional social and cultural theories of

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Cultures create their own theories of morality and teach their members to believe in it. Cultures can be death accepting, hedonistic, pessimistic,

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Have you ever wondered why some people act the way they act? It really all depends on the way they were raised, and what culture they were raised in. That’s what I have always wondered, how people act the way they act. While some may say that culture is the only way to learn about others. I believe one’s culture occasionally informs the way one views the world because our experiences are what truly shapes our views, which is illustrated in personal experiences and literature.

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A person’s beliefs and morals are made up by culture and remain throughout your entire life. Culture is what made you the person you are today and also determines who or what you choose to associate yourself with. My identity would not exist if it were not for my own culture and the values I have carried from it along the years. The morals I have today exist

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As so far whatever and in whichever religion, culture, the tradition we believe is true. In every situation, we all look different way, and the knowledge of being right or wrong never applies to moral beliefs. Cultural moral relativism, it varies from culture to culture, all cultures are equally important, and there is not a single culture which whom we can say is better than any other. And it depends on that finally there is no standard of good or bad. So, every decision regarding right and wrong is the result of society.

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Although funds are being cut from Texas public schools, it has not kept the state of Texas from increasing the demands of standardized testing. Over the last several years, Texas public schools have chosen to sacrificed valuable classroom time, once designated for meaningful teaching and learning, in order to fulfill state-wide testing requirements. Due to increased pressures set by the state for each school to meet established score demands, students are spending a tremendous amount of classroom time preparing for high-stakes tests, instead of allowing students the opportunity to gain and improve upon critical thinking skills necessary to meet the challenges of everyday life. In order to redirect educational focus on preparing the youth for

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Evaluating the morality within ourselves they evaluate morality on the principle of what is wrong or right. As equally

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Philosophy 2200C Taylor Pearl Paper #1 The Cultural Differences Argument for Moral Relativism In this paper I will be discussing the theory of the Cultural Differences Argument for Moral Relativism and also the flaws this theory holds. First I will explain the general idea of Moral Relativism, followed by two examples of cultural differences that are often cited to further explain this theory. After that I will discuss what the Cultural Differences Argument is for Moral Relativism.

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Although cultures throughout the world are distinct from one another, along with their own unique customs, there are set moral rules that every culture follows which plays a big role, in order for society to continue forward. Cultures are very different as described by James Rachels in “Morality Is Not Relative”. Cultural Relativism means that there are no set moral codes due to the fact that distinct cultures have distinct ideas when it comes to morals. For example, Rachel's supports his argument, by using multiple ways different people lived. Rachel’s points out a rarely discussed situation about Eskimos practicing infanticide.

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“preconventional morality, roughly corresponding to Piaget’s heteronomous level, in which what is right is what avoids punishment, what conforms to the dictates of authority, or what serves one’s personal interests (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p. 278). Although it seems today that these experiences were small events in my life. During this time, I was as old as I have ever been and lacked the ability to step away and see the large picture of things. According to Vygotsky they were critical to my overall development because they emphasized independent development through social interactions contribution to overall cognitive development (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p.

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Similarities and differences of both theories. Similarities Differences • Both Piaget and Kohlberg focus their theories on children • Both theories explain the development of young children • Similar to Piaget, early stages of moral reasoning are characterized by immediate and concrete rewards or punishments. • Kohlberg posited that moral reasoning develops as a function of cognitive growth and change as well as experiences and interactions with the environment, and in this way was similar to Piaget. • Both these psychologists are criticized for not really describing human development fully. • Kohlberg’s theory is really one of cognitive development as applied to moral understanding because he believed that children developed their moral principles primarily though thinking about them.

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