Western Ethics and Morality

1
Western Ethics and Morality

• Piagets theory of child development
• Sensorimotor 0-2
• Pre-operational 2-7
• Concrete operational 7-11
• Formal operational 11-15

2
Western Ethics and Morality

• Kohlbergs moral stages
• Level I Pre-conventional
• Level II Conventional-Role conformity
• Do what a good girl would do.
• Respond to peer pressure-stereotypes.
• Level III Post-Conventional--Self-accepted
  moral principles
• Morality defined in terms of conformity to shared
  standards, rights, duties, universal norms and
  self-refection.
• Noticing conflicting rules and able to apply
  those rules to situation and choose the right
  rule.

3
Western Ethics and Morality

• Kohlbergs moral stages.
• Level I Pre-conventional/Pre-moral.
• Moral values reside in external, quasi-physical
  events, or in bad acts. The child is responsive
  to rules and evaluative labels, but views them in
  terms of rewards or punishments or in terms of
  the physical power of those who impose the rules.
• Stage 1 obedience and punishment orientation.
• Egocentric deference to superior power or
  prestige, or a trouble-avoiding set.
• Objective responsibility.
• Stage 2 naively egoistic orientation.
• Right action gets you what you want.
• Values are relative to actors needs.

4
Western Ethics and Morality

• Kohlbergs moral stages.
• Level II conventional/role conformity
• Moral values reside in performing the right
  role, in maintaining the conventional order and
  expectancies of others as a value in its own
  right
• Stage 3 good-boy/good-girl orientation
• Orientation to approval, to pleasing and helping
  others.
• Conformity to stereotypical images of majority or
  natural role of behavior
• Action is evaluated in terms of intention
• Stage 4 authority and social-order-maintaining
  orientation
• Orientation to doing duty and to showing
  respect for authority and maintaining the given
  social order for its own sake.
• Regard for earned expectation of others
• Differentiates actions out of a sense of
  obligation to rules.

5
Western Ethics and Morality

• Kohlbergs moral stages.
• Level III Post-conventional/self-accepted moral
  principles
• Morality is defined in terms of conformity to
  shared standards, rights, or duties which are
  internalized. Action-decisions are based on an
  inner process of thought and judgement concerning
  right and wrong
• Stage 5 contractual/legalistic orientation
• Norms of right and wrong are defined in terms of
  laws or institutionalized rules which seem to
  have a rational basis.
• When conflict arises between individual needs and
  law or contract, though sympathetic to the
  former, the individual believes the latter must
  prevail because of its greater functional
  rationality for society, the majority will and
  welfare

6
Western Ethics and Morality

• Kohlbergs moral stages.
• Level III Post-conventional/self-accepted moral
  principles
• Stage 6 the morality of individual principles
  of conscience
• Orientation not only toward existing social
  rules, but also toward the conscience as a
  directing agent, mutual trust and respect, and
  principles of moral choice involving logical
  universalities and consistency.
• Action is controlled by internalized ideal that
  exert a pressure to act accordingly regardless of
  the reactions of others in the immediate
  environment.
• If one acts otherwise, self-condemnation and
  guilt result.

7
Western Ethics Morals

• Gilligan/Kohlberg debate
• Heinz dilemma
• Gilligans conclusion in A Different Voice
• Care versus Justice approach

8
Western Ethics Morality

• Care
• Compassionate
• Sensitive
• Concerned with human relationships
• Situation driven

• Justice
• Fair
• Universal principles
• Hierarchy of principles
• Detached and rational

9
Western Ethics Morals

• Dreyfus and Dreyfus
• The Skill-Based Model

10
Western Ethics Morals

• Stage 1 Novice-
• No previous experience
• Context free
• Noticing objective features and rules
• Example when learning to drive a car you learn
  rules like time the shifting according to
  speed.
• Kantian example When a murderer comes to the
  door and asks if your friend is at home, let him
  in even if he intends to kill your friend.
  (Never tell a lie)

11
Western Ethics Morals

• Stage 2 Advanced Beginner
• Must already be familiar in order to understand
  new aspects related to the situation.
• Maxims are phrased in terms of context dependent
  aspects versus rules which are context free.
• Example stage in learning to drive a car when
  you are learning how to shift. You have a rule
  related to a specific situation of the motor
  straining when you are driving up a hill. Maxim
  would be shift up according to speed and when
  motor sounds like its racing and straining.
• Kantian example never tell a lie except when to
  do so would hurt a friends feelings

12
Western Ethics Morals

• Stage 3 Competence
• Emotions play a role in learning to differentiate
  rules
• Becoming more flexible
• Example of competent driver leaving a freeway on
  a curved-off ramp. She has to decide when to let
  up on the accelerator under complex conditions.
  Her relief when she does it right will imprint
  the set of circumstances in her mind.
• Telling the truth and someone gets angry
  registers emotionally.

13
Western Ethics Morals

• Stage 4 Proficiency
• As soon a competent performer stops reflecting on
  problematic situations as detached observer,
  stops looking for principles to guide actions and
  is able to just do it
• Listening to radio or talking on the cell phone
  while driving a car

14
Western Ethics Morals

• Stage 5 Ethical expert
• Driver knows by the feel and familiarity when an
  action life slowing down is required. She is no
  longer aware of her acts.
• Related to phronesis person of practical
  wisdom.
• Doesnt require deliberation
• Avoiding an accident when talking on a cell phone
  (because he has had other close calls and
  suffered the emotional shock which imprinted in
  his body)

15
Western Ethics Morals

• Kolhberg/Gilligan Debate
• non-intuitivecompetent
• intuitive ethical expert