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Descriptive ethics deal with what the population actually believes to be right and wrong, and holds up as ideals or condemns or punishes in law or politics, as contrasted to normative ethics which deals with what the population should believe to be right and wrong, and such concepts as sin and evil. Society is usually balancing the two in some way, and sociology and social psychology are often concerned with the balance, and more clinical assessments and instruments to determine ethical attitudes. Value theory can be either normative or descriptive but is usually descriptive.
Lawrence Kohlberg was a developmental psychologist who devised an influential theory about moral reasoning. He proposed that moral reasoning, which he thought to be the basis for ethical behavior, develops through stages. From the results of his studies at Harvard's Center for Moral Education, he concluded that there are six identifiable stages of moral development. In the lower levels, self-interest is the criterium which is used to judge the morality of actions, whereas abstract principles are more important in the higher levels.
See also
- List of ethics topics
- Meta-ethics
- Moral reasoningMoral reasoning is a study in psychology that overlaps with moral philosophy. Prominent figures include Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan and John Reed. Although all moral choice can be seen as personal choice, it can also been seen as economic choice, et
- ScruplesAn uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action. Synonym: "qualm" 2. A scruple is a unit of apothecary weight. It is equivalent to a twenty-fourth part of an ounce, 1. 3 grams, or 20 grains.
- Simple view of ethics and moralsThis simple view of ethics and morals introduces these issues to those with no background, or perhaps with no interest, in academic moral philosophy. Ethics is often called the science of morality. It attempts to make consistent descriptions of complex si
EthicsEthics is a general term for what is often described as the " science of morality". In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is " good". The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy . This is one of the three major branches of
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