How valid is Kohlbergs scheme?
Kohlberg’s analysis makes a good deal of sense. The process of moral development, he says, means moving toward a progressively less self-centered and ever more complex and abstract ethical outlook. We start with a selfish way of determining right and wrong, give that up for other people’s judgments, then grow beyond that to a view of morality as an expression of ultimate principles–justice, fairness, and respect for individual rights and human dignity. Kohlberg’s stages also test out empirically. His evidence shows that everyone can be placed at one of his six stages as they pass through what turns out to be the same sequence. Some researchers raised questions about Kohlberg’s theory, however, when they saw that most women do not go past Stage 3–that is, they determine right and wrong according to whether or not an act helps or pleases others. If women achieve no higher levels than this, either they are morally inferior to men or something is wrong with the theory.
