Framework and

Principles Behind
our
Moral Disposition
GROUP 3
 Topics Covered
Development of Moral Character

Stages of Moral Development

Difference between Reason and Will

Agenda Moral Theories and mental frame

Aristotle and St. Thomas

Kant and Right

Utilitarianism
Development of
Moral
Characters
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Moral Character
Evaluative orientation that distinguishes good
and bad and prescribes good
Sense of obligation toward standards of a social
collective
Sense of responsibility for acting out of concern
for others
 Components of Moral Character
Moral behavior (prosocial, sharing, donating to charity, telling
the truth)
Moral values (believe in moral goods)
Moral emotion (guilt, empathy, compassion)
Moral reasoning (about right and wrong)
Moral identity (morality as an aspect self-image)
Moral personality (enduring tendency to act with honesty,
altruism, responsibility
 Theories of Moral Character
Development

External/Social (behaviorists and sociologists): view

morality as a product of external imposition in the form of
consequences and/or the intentional transmission of social
rules and norms;

Internal (nativists and sociobiologists): focus on genetic and

maturational influences;
 Theories of Moral Character
Development

Interactional
Instinctual--psychoanalytic, psychosocial, and socio-analytic
theories that view human nature as instinctual, undeveloped,
and in need of control or socialization;
Maturational--cognitive-and affective-developmental
theories and social-learning theories that view human nature
as good;
 Theories of Moral Character
Development

Personality/Identity: includes theories that find virtue

rooted in personality and personal identity
Moral Development
It refers to the ways people choose between right
and wrong as they mature. Morals are influenced by
social and cultural norms, as well as established
laws. Moral development begins in childhood and
typically ends when one reaches adulthood;
however, it has been suggested that moral
development is a continuous process.
Stages of Moral
Development
Lawrence
Kohlberg’s Stages
of Moral
Development
Lawrence Kohlberg formulated a theory asserting that
individuals progress through six distinct stages of moral
reasoning from infancy to adulthood.

He grouped these stages into three broad categories of

moral reasoning, pre-conventional, conventional, and post-
conventional. Each level is associated with increasingly
complex stages of moral development.

Kohlberg suggested that people move through these stages

in a fixed order and that moral understanding is linked to
cognitive development.
Mcleod, S., PhD. (2024). Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Simply Psychology. https://urls.grow.me/lej80gKWb
 Three General Levels of Moral
Development

Level 1: Preconventional level

At the preconventional level, morality is externally controlled. Rules imposed by
authority figures are conformed to in order to avoid punishment or receive
rewards. This perspective involves the idea that what is right is what one can get
away with or what is personally satisfying.
 Stages of
Moral
Development
(Level 1: Preconventional level)

Stage 1: Punishment/obedience Stage 2: Instrumental purpose orientation

orientation
Behaviour is determined by consequences. Behaviour is determined again by
The individual will obey in order to avoid consequences. The individual focuses on
punishment receiving rewards or satisfying personal
needs
 Three General Levels of Moral
Development

Level 2: Conventional level

At the conventional level, conformity to social rules remains important to the
individual. However, the emphasis shifts from self-interest to relationships with
other people and social systems. The individual strives to support rules that are
set forth by others such as parents, peers, and the government in order to win
their approval or to maintain social order.
 Stages of
Moral
Development
(Level 2: Conventional level)

Stage 3: Good Boy/Nice Girl orientation Stage 4: Law and order orientation

Behaviour is determined by social approval. Social rules and laws determine behaviour.
The individual wants to maintain or win the The individual now takes into
affection and approval of others by being a consideration a larger perspective, that of
“good person.” societal laws.The individual believes that
rules and laws maintain social order that is
worth preserving
 Three General Levels of Moral
Development

Level 3: Postconventional or principled level

At the postconventional level, the individual moves beyond the
perspective of his or her own society. Morality is defined in terms of
abstract principles and values that apply to all situations and societies.
The individual attempts to take the perspective of all individuals.
 Stages of
Moral
Development
(Level 3: Postconventional level)

Stage 5: Social contract orientation Stage 6: Universal ethical principle

orientation
Individual rights determine behaviour. The According to Kohlberg, this is the highest stage of
individual views laws and rules as flexible tools for functioning. However, he claimed that some
improving human purposes. When laws are not individuals will never reach this level. At this stage,
consistent with individual rights and the interests the appropriate action is determined by one’s self-
of the majority, they do not bring about good for chosen ethical principles of conscience. These
people and alternatives should be considered. principles are abstract and universal in application.
Difference between
Reason and Will
 Reason Will
Reason refers to the ability to Will refers to the capacity for
think logically, analyze deliberate intention and
information, and draw decision-making, particularly in
conclusions based on evidence pursuit of goals or desires.
and principles. It involves the ability to make
It involves processes such as choices and take actions based
deduction, induction, and on one's motivations,
abstraction, allowing individuals preferences, values, and
to make sense of the world and intentions.
make informed judgments.
 Reason Will

Reason involves critical thinking, Willpower encompasses the

problem-solving, and the ability ability to exert self-control, resist
to weigh different perspectives or impulses, and persist in pursuing
arguments. long-term objectives despite
Rationality, coherence, and obstacles or temptations.
consistency are key It often involves emotional and
characteristics of reasoning. motivational factors, as well as
conscious decision-making
processes.
 In summary, reason pertains to the
cognitive processes of understanding and
analyzing information, while will relates to
the volitional aspect of decision-making
and goal-directed action. While reason
provides the basis for making informed
choices, willpower determines the
execution and persistence in pursuing
those choices.
Moral Theories and
Mental Frames
 Moral Theories

Moral theories are systems of principles or guidelines that help

people determine what is right or wrong.

They provide frameworks for understanding and evaluating ethical

dilemmas and guide decision-making in various situations. Some
common moral theories include consequentialism, deontology,
virtue ethics, and utilitarianism.
 Mental Frames

Mental frames are cognitive structures that shape how people see
and interpret moral situations. They influence our moral judgments
by highlighting certain aspects of a situation and downplaying
others, impacting decision-making and reasoning.
 In essence, moral theory provides the
foundational principles, while mental frames
offer the perceptual lenses through which
individuals apply and interpret these principles
in real-world situations. Both are essential for
fostering ethical behavior and promoting
moral integrity in personal and societal
contexts.
Aristotle and St.
Thomas Aquinas
Aristotle ( Virtue Ethics)
Born in 384.

From the northwestern edge of

the Greek Empire in Stagira.

Father was physician to King

Amyntas of Macedonia.
 The Question of Action
Two Moral What should I do? How ought I to act?

Perspectives The Question of Character

What kind of person ought I to be?

Aristotle’s concern is with the question of character.

Aristotle’s Ethics
Good is that at which all things aim.
The proper function or excellence of a things is
its arete (virtue).
The human arete or virtue is activity of the soul
in accordance with virtue (over a lifetime).
Human virtue (Arete)
It can not be simply living and growing- trees do that as well.

It can not be related to characteristics we share with animals.

The quality that seems distinctively human is the use of

reason. "The function of man then is activity of soul [thinking
well and doing well] in accordance with reason."
Humans can have two kinds of virtue:

Intellectual virtues: these relate particularly to our professions,

i.e., they will differ for a truck driver, cook, lawyer, farmer, doctor,
etc.
Moral virtues: This virtue is common to all humans, but it may
vary in degree according to our capacities. Moral virtue "is the
outcome of habit; its name, ethike, is derived from ethos, habit.
So the difference between one and another training in habits in
our childhood is not a light manner, but important, or rather, all
important."
Both intellectual and moral virtues are needed for us to
achieve happiness (eudaemonia)
Both intellectual and
moral virtues are
needed for us to
achieve happiness
(eudaemonia)
 Most of the ends (goals) we
Happiness: seek are instrumental steps
The Self- toward some ultimate goal.

sufficient End Aristotle identifies happiness

(eudaemonia) as that which
we seek as a goal that is an
end in itself.
 Happiness comes from
Happiness:
developing a good
The Self- character.
sufficient End A good character
comes from the
development of good
habits.
 HAPPINESS

GOOD CHARACTER

GOOD HABITS

GOOD ACTIONS

GOOD THOUGHTS
Good
Character
Virtuous thoughts lead to good acts
Virtuous acts (following the Mean) can lead to
good habits
Good habits make for a good character
A good character can be happy
Business and Professional Ethics application: We
should ask, "Will this act help lead me to be the
person I should be? Will I be a person of good
character"
Virtue (arete) as the mean, the correct balance

• The mean is the right balance between two extremes, the extreme of
excess and the extreme of deficiency.

Deficiency Mean Excess

Cowardliness Courage Rashness

Humility Pride Vanity

Stingy GivingSpendThrift
Virtue (arete) as the mean (inbetween)
• The mean varies according to individuals
• The mean of courage is different for a marine, a college
student, and an eight- year old child.
• The mean of charitable giving is different for a billionaire,
a college teacher, and a student.
Actions & Emotions Without a Mean
• "There are some [actions/emotions] whose very name
implies wickedness."

• For example: "malice, shamelessness, and envy among

the emotions and adultery, theft, and murder among the
actions."
St. Thomas Aquinas ( Virtue Ethics)
He was born in Roccasecca, Italy during the
Medieval Period. He studied Liberal Arts at
University of Naples and He became a
Dominican Friar during 1249.

His most important works are the "Summa

Theologica" where he expounded on the five
proofs of the existence of God and the "Summa
Contra Gentiles" or the "Book on the truth of the
Catholic faith against the errors of the
unbelievers".
 Aquinas insists that the Natural

Natural Law expresses moral

requirements, it contains rules,
commands, and action guiding
Law requirements.

The Natural Law is found within

us, his rational creatures.
For irrational creatures, the way they exist and the
way their actions tend toward something that seems
to be good are all guided by this natural law.

In the Broad sense, the natural law guides both the

rational and irrational creatures in their own
perspective tendencies towards the realization of
their beings.
Happiness as Constitutive of Moral and Cardinal Virtues
The Four Cardinal Virtues

➤ Prudence - it is an exercise of understanding that helps us know

the best means in solving problems in which we encounter in the
concrete circumstances.

➤ Justice - it is an exercise of the will to give or render the things, be it

intellectual or material to anyone who own
➤ Fortitude - it is an exercise of courage, to face any dangers one
encounters without fear, especially when life is at stake.

➤ Temperance - it is an exercise of control in the midst of strong

attaction to pleasures
Kant and Rights
Immanuel Kant
Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in
Kaliningrad, Russia.
In 1740 Kant entered the University of
Königsberg.
He published science papers, including
"General Natural History and Theory of the
Heavens" in 1755.
He spent 15 years as a metaphysics
lecturer. In 1781, he published the first part
of Critique of Pure Reason.
 Kant’s Theory
Represent deontological ethics
For him a right action consists solely in an action that is ruled
and justified by a rule or principle. It was the rational and
autonomous conformity of one's will to see right the universal
moral law
Foundations of Metaphysics of Morals, explains the
philosophical foundation of morality and moral actions.
 Only thing that is good without
qualification.

Goodwill Other goods like intelligence and

health can be qualified,

Good Will is good by virtue

because it is the will to follow
the Moral Law.
 Distinction between "I want" and "I
ought"
Moral actions are not spontaneous, if I
Notion of see someone in need of help, I may be
inclined to look the other way, but I will

Duty recognize that my duty is to help.

Considering only those actions that
are seemingly good according to Kant
are actions that seem good by duty,
that are good to my common sense of
duty and for that they are right.
 Imperatives are
commands
Nature of For Kant there are two

Imperatives types of imperatives.

Hypothetical Imperatives
&Categorical Imperatives
Hypothetical Imperative
If you want you ought. The ought or the duty is conditioned
by your desires, wants and goals.
Our goals are grounded in SELF-INTEREST

Categorical Imperative
The general from of DO. (Unconditioned) For Kant there is
only one imperative command and it is the Moral Law .
Divided into two formulations
 A. First Formulation
"Act as if the maxim of your action were to secure through
your will a universal law of nature."

B. Second Formulation
"Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person
or that of another, always as an end and never as a mean."
Rights
are entitlement to act or to have another
individual act in a certain way.
serve as a protective barrier, shielding
individuals from unjustified infringement
of their moral agency by others
 Examples of legal rights
include:
The right to a fair trial.
Legal Freedom of speech.
The right to privacy
Rights granted
and protected
by the law.
 Examples of moral rights
include:
The right to dignity.
Moral The right to a good life.
The right to be treated with
Rights based
on ethical respect.
principles and
moral values.
"Legal rights are the armor
to the freedoms of the
individual; moral rights are
the armor to the freedoms
of the human race." -
Roscoe Pound
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, in ethics is a tradition
stemming from the late 18th- and 19th-
century English philosophers and
economists Jeremy Bentham and John
Stuart Mill according to which an
action (or type of action) is right if it
tends to promote happiness or
pleasure and wrong if it tends to
produce unhappiness or pain—not just
for the performer of the action but
also for everyone else affected by it.
Two Types of Utilitarianism
Rule: An action is right if and
only if it conforms to a set of
rules the general acceptance
of which would produce the
greatest balance of pleasure
over pain for the greatest
number. (John Stuart Mill)
Two Types of Utilitarianism
Act: An Action is right if and
only if it produces the
greatest balance of pleasure
over pain for the greatest
number. (Jeremy Bentham)
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