Moral Development
Morality

A concern with the distinction between
right and wrong or between good and evil
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Lawrence Kohlberg
The founding of Israel
 The letter of the law
vs. a higher law
 How do people
develop morally?
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Kohlberg’s Method
Initial research: 10-16 year old boys
 Interview:
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Present a moral dilemma
Interested in the reasoning behind the answer
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Dilemma: What would you do?
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer.
There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a
form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently
discovered. the drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was
charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $400 for
the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick
woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the
money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together
about $2,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his
wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But
the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make
money from it." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets
desperate and considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug
for his wife.
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Stages of Moral Development
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Pre-Conventional Morality (Level I)
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Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation
Stage 2: Individualism and exchange
Conventional Morality (Level II)
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Stage 3: Good boy/Good girl orientation
Stage 4: Law and order orientation
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Stages of Moral Development
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Post-Conventional Morality (Stage III)
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Stage 5: Social contract orientation
Stage 6: Universal ethical principles
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Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory
People should not place own principles
above society and law
 Kohlberg’s stages culturally biased
 Gilligan: Kohlberg’s stages gender-biased
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Gilligan’s Stages of Moral Development

Pre-Conventional: Goal is individual survival

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Conventional: Self-sacrifice is goodness

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Transition from selfishness to responsibility
Transition from goodness to truth that she is a
person too
Post-Conventional: Principle of nonviolence
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Religion
Religion as a Social Institution

Religion:
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Set of institutionalized beliefs and practices
that deal with the meaning of life
Beliefs and actions related to the supernatural
Relieves anxiety when the world doesn’t make
sense
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Elements of Religion
Religious Beliefs
 Religious Rituals
 Subjective Experience
 Community
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Elements of Religion

Religious Beliefs:

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Define the supernatural/divine order, clarify
humans’ role
Organize perceptions of the world
Create a guide for behavior
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Elements of Religion

Religious Beliefs:
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Myth: Narrative stories about supernatural
forces or beings
Serve to express core beliefs and teach morality
 Transmit information about survival and
conservation

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Doctrine: Direct statements about religious
beliefs
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Written, formal
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Elements of Religion
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Religious Rituals:
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Formal enactments of religious beliefs
Activities have symbolic meanings
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Elements of Religion
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Religious Rituals:
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Periodic rituals
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Elements of Religion

Religious Rituals:

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Periodic rituals
Life-cycle rituals
Separation
 Transition
 Reintegration
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Elements of Religion

Religious Rituals:

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Periodic rituals
Life-cycle rituals
Separation
 Transition
 Reintegration

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Pilgrimage
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Elements of Religion

Religious Rituals:

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Periodic rituals
Life-cycle rituals
Separation
 Transition
 Reintegration

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Pilgrimage
Rituals of inversion
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Elements of Religion

Religious Rituals:
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Periodic rituals
Life-cycle rituals
Separation
 Transition
 Reintegration

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Pilgrimage
Rituals of inversion
Sacrifice
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Elements of Religion

Subjective Experiences:
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Arise out of rituals and beliefs
Religion provides framework to interpret inner
states
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Elements of Religion
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Community:
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Shared beliefs, rituals, experiences create a
community of believers
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An Evolutionary Model of Religion
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Magic  Religion  Science
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Magic: People’s attempt to compel supernatural
forces/beings to act in certain ways
Imitative magic:
Contagious magic:
Arose out of need for explanation; esp.
difference between living and dead

Animism:
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A Functionalist Theory of Religion

Durkheim: Societies distinguish between
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Sacred: That which is holy, inspires awe, must
be treated with respect
Profane: Ordinary, everyday things that may
be treated casually
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A Functionalist Theory of Religion

Totem: Sacred emblem that members of a
group treat with reverence

To Durkheim, totems were symbols of deity
and symbols of society
Experiences we categorize as religious are
responses to social forces
 Role of science vs. role of religion
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A Conflict Theory of Religion
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Marx:
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Religion serves the interests of the ruling elite
Masks the exploitation of the workers and the
class inequality of capitalism
Alienation
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Types of Religious Organizations
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Established church
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Organization that claims unique legitimacy
Has positive relationship with society
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Types of Religious Organizations
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Sect
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Organization that claims unique legitimacy
Stands apart from society
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Types of Religious Organizations
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Denomination
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Organization that accepts legitimacy of other
religions
Has positive relationship with society
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Types of Religious Organizations
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Cult
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Organization that accepts legitimacy of other
religions
Has negative relationship with society
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Dilemmas of Institutionalization
Mixed motivations
 Symbol systems
 Organization
 Letter vs. spirit of religious law
 Conversion vs. coercion
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