The beverage was wine. The conversation, while trying to stay out of lung-choking north state smoke, was about philosophy and morality. My friend, who holds a psychology PhD., explained a continuum of morality – essentially the development of an individual and the corresponding reasons for their moral choices. The lowest form of development, he explained, is the fear of getting caught and the social punishment that a person may face if they are caught doing a naughty deed, such as stealing or vandalizing, etc. Struggles and thought — reason — for arriving at a moral decision or stance are the hallmarks of development, he said.
I thought to that classic 1948 flick, “The Bicycle Thief,” directed by Vittorio De Sica. It’s the epitome of a morality conflict – and it rips Bruno and his Pop apart. My friend hadn’t seen it. “Pity,” I thought. Then remembered that we live in the world of YouTube. And, you know it, the whole film is there, in 10-minute increments. Enjoy…
Filed under: Christy Lochrie, conversation, ethics | Tagged: choices, conversation, development, Morality, The Bicycle Thief, wine
Your oenophile, psychologist friend would like it be generally known that you are referencing Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, stage 1. I am well acquainted with Carol Gilligan’s feminist critique of Kohlberg and of the several critiques of Gilligan’s critique.
I think that it is important to understand that Kohlberg’s theory applies to moral reasoning and not necessarily to moral behavior. Kohlberg theorized that people progress, stepwise in one direction through the six stages and that one cannot regress. However, as the bicycle thief nicely illustrates, people with a higher level of development in ethical reasoning can be caught in dilemmas that place them at odds with their moral principles. Check out wikipedia for a straightforward explanation of the Kohlberg’s stage theory.
Nice to see you in such a blogomatic mood, Christy!