The Moral Agent Prepared by:

Michelle B. Granado-Mandap
Lesson 2.2: Developing virtue as Habit
Moral Character refers to the
existence or lack of virtues such as
integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty
and loyalty.
1: Moral characters and virtues
Derived from the Greek word
“charakter” which was as a mark
1. What is impressed upon a coin.
character? Later came to a distinct mark by
which one thins distinguished from
others, and then chiefly to mean the
assemblage of qualities that
distinguish from one person to
another.
Moral Characters and virtues
 Aristotle is a towering figure
in ancient Greek philosophy, who
made important contributions to logic,
criticism, rhetoric, physics, biology,
psychology, mathematics,
metaphysics, ethics, and politics. He
was a student of Plato for twenty years
but is famous for
rejecting Plato's theory of forms.
 Excellences of thought – which
primarily manifest in theoretical
2 distinct of knowledge
human Excellences of character – highlight not
excellence only mere distinctiveness or
individuality but on the blend of
qualities that makes a person the sort of
ethically admirable individual.
2: The circular relation of Acts and character
 that build character and
moral character itself. Not
ACTS
all acts help to build moral
character but those act
which emanate from moral
characters certainly matter
in moral development.
3: Moral Character as dispositions
 dispositions’ are particular kinds of
properties or characteristics that objects can
posses.
Moral character traits are those dispositions
of character trait for which is suitable to hold
agents morally responsible.
4:1 Six Stages of Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) THEORY of
stages of moral development.
Kohlberg employed Piaget’s story telling
technique to tell stories involving moral
dilemmas.
Kohlberg pinpoint three distinct levels of
moral reasoning each with two sub stages.
4:2 Six Stages of Moral Development
Level 1. Pre-conventional Morality
Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment
Stage 2. Individualism and exchange
Level 2. Convention Morality
Stage 3. Good Interpersonal Relationships
Stage 4. Maintaining the Social order
Level 3. Post-Conventional Morality
Stage 5. Social Contract and Individual Rights
Stage 6. Universal Principles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bounwXLkme4
5. Getting to the highest level, conscience-based Moral
Decisions
Stage 1. Respect for power and punishment (age 1 to 5)
Stage 2. Looking out for number 1 (age 5 to 10)
Stage 3. Being a Good boy or Nice girl (age 8 to 16)
Stage 4. Law and order thinking (age 16 years old and
older)
Stage 5. Justice through democracy
Stage 6. Deciding on basic moral principles by which
you will live your life and relate to everyone fairly.
Thank You……………