CHAPTER 1 LESSON 5:

HOW IS MORAL CHARACTER

DEVELOPED
WHAT IS MORAL CHARACTER

Basic definition of the terms

moral, character, and moral
character. Moral is
"concerned with the
principles of right and wrong
behavior or the goodness and
badness of the human
character"
Moral Character as
Disposition

Moral characters are those

disposition or the tendency
to act or think in a particular
way for which a person can
be held morally responsible
Co n f u c i a n
Tra d i t i o n s
The philosophy of moral development is
rooted in ancient views. For Confucian
traditions moral development was
attributed to "four beginnings" of the
human personality. These "four
beginnings" were considered as seeds of
human personality that will naturally
unfold to become human activities.
 The four beginnings in
Confucian
traditions are:

The heart of compassion, which leads to Jen.

The heart of righteousness, which leads to Yi.
The heart of propriety, which leads to Li.
The heart of wisdom, which leads to Zhi.
 Jen means four Li deals with
outward behavior

beginnings
goodwill,
such as etiquette,
sympathy
customs, and
towards others,
rituals.
and generosity.

Yi means Zhi means wisdom,

righteousness and and this wisdom is a
the respect of duty, product of practicing
that is, respect your Jen, Yi and Li in one's
position as guardian life
towards nature and
humanity.
Aristo t l e & V i r t u e
Ethics
Virtue ethics is an approach that reduces the
emphasis on rules, consequences, and
particular acts. Instead, virtue ethics focus on
the quality of the person.

Virtue ethics is largely identified with aristotle.

In ancient Western Philosophy, Aristotle's
discussion on moral character, particularly
virtue, is the most influential view on the topic
What does it mean to be a good person? Aristotle believed that
humans have an essence. He called this essence proper
functioning where everything has a function and the thing that
performs as intended is called good when it is able to fulfill this
function.

So What does it mean to be virtuous? Virtue for the Greeks is

equivalent to excellence. A person of virtue is someone who
performs the distinctive activity of being human well. The
principle of being virtuous is called the "Doctrine of the Golden
Mean"- that moral behavior is the one that is in the middle of
two extreme behaviors (or what he called vices). When he said
"extreme behavior", it meant the act was either excessive or
deficient.
It is important to note that Aristotle's Doctrine of the
Mean does not claim that you behave in moderately at
all times; such as when you get angry, you should only
ever be 'moderately' angry.
Concluded that virtue is a choice of behaving the right
way, at the right time, with the right people, and that
this choice is determined by rational principle and
practical wisdom.
The virtuous man is the kind of man, who is able to
satisfy both inclinations and rational desires because his
or her inclinations and desires are aligned.
But wh y d o w e
have to b e
virtuo us ?
 LESSON 6

STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Lawrence Kohlberg was a 20th century developmental
psychologist and moral philosopher
Kohlberg's Theory
Lawrence Kohlberg studied morality using a very
interesting ( if controversial) technique.

His theory holds that moral reasoning, which is the basis

for ethical behavior, has identifiable developmental
stages and each become more adequate at responding
to moral dilemmas as the person progresses from one
stage to the next. Kohlberg asserted that the process of
moral development was principally concerned with
justice, and that the process goes on throughout the
individual's lifetime

Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience
Orientation
This is also called 'pre-moral' stage
where decisions and actions are
determined by immediate physical
consequences and not the true
moral value
Level 1:
Pre-conventional
morality
Stage 2: Reward Orientation
As a children grow older, they
begin to see that there is
actually room for negotiation
because other people have
their own goals to meet and
wants that must be satisfied
too
 Level 11:
oy\G ood Gi rl Conventional
Morality
e 3: Goo d B
Stag
Orientation

th e c hil d t rie s
At th is st a g e ,
r o v a l fro m ot h e r Stage 4: Authority
to see k a p p
y liv in g u p t o t h eir Orientation
peop le b By this time, individuals have
e xp e c t at io n s .
reached adulthood ang they
usually consider society as a
whole when making
judgements. The focus at this
stage is following the rules,
maintaining law and order, doing
one's duty, and respecting
authority.
 Level 111:
e 5: S oc ia l Co n tr a ct Post
conventional
Stag
O rie nt at io n
d iv id ual is
an sei
thn
e m e
This stag c h o f w h a t is
h a t m u
aware t ral o r g o o d is
o b e m o
co n s id ere dt
e rso n a l b e lie fs Stage 6: Ethical- Principle
s e d o n p
mainly ba o ci a l g r o u p t h e y
Orientation
s o nt h e s
as w e ll a ve r y fe w
th a t o n ly a At this stage, an individual
n g to an d lu es
be lo e n t a l v a already has a principled
w n fu n d a m
f th e k n o
o
ly u n i ve r s al conscience; and will follow
are actual universal, ethical principles
regardless of what the laws or the
rules say. Judgement here is
based on abstract reasoning such
as being able to put oneself in
other people's shoes.

Thank You
for listening!