The criticisms of Kohlberg's moral development stages seem to center around three major points, his research methods, the "regression" of stage four, and finally his goals.

The first criticism that I would like to address is that of his research methods. Kohlberg is often criticized for not only his subject selection, but also the methods by which he tries to extricate data from those subjects. His initial study consisted of school boys from a private institution in Chicago. The problem with this is fairly obvious, that this does not represent a significant portion of the population to allow for generalized conclusions. In other words, how can we test some boys from Chicago and ascertain that this is how all people develop worldwide?

I believe that the answer to this criticism comes from the theory that it relates to. Kohlberg's moral development schema is highly dependent upon the idea that there are fundamental truths that cannot be dismissed. These ideas are "in the ether", wound into the very fabric that constructs human nature. Granted, his descriptions of the various stages also seem very dependent upon the surroundings and social institutions that an individual wo

The final part of this paper will be dedicated to the combination of two very different arenas of thought, the moral development paths of justice and care. Some have argued for and against each, some have argued for and against both. What we will try to do is to build an entirely new moral system on the strengths of these two. Theoretically, we should come up with a super-competent solution, one that is better than the two individually. Rather than try to develop this step by step and point by point (which would be intolerable after about the second line), I'd like to just give my interpretation of what the final product would look like. One note: the most that can be possibly asked of any person in any system is that they give 100 percent all the time. Therefore, any theorizing that we do is subject to the fact that people only have the resources to accomplish certain things.

So, the only proper and effective way to get a response is to propose a hypothetical situation, and document replies. It may not elicit the pure data that one desires, but according to the Heisenberg principle, it is impossible to measure anything without influencing it. Some research methods indicate that it is more important to follow one's thoughts through the reasoning process, rather than just asking for possible solutions. However, I have to believe, and justify from personal experience, that people have incredibly low attention spans. Asking someone to explain how they think through a decision is almost as likely to yield useful data as asking them to volunteer their PIN numbers. It seems as though people are able not only to be influenced, but to influence themselves into making different decisions. This can lead to the "endless circle" conversation.

Finally, Kohlberg's critics have said that stage five is too arbitrary. It is not easy to tell exactly how much one owes to the social contract, or what to do with people who do not necessarily agree with it. Gilligan would argue that there is a way to resolve this conflict of interests through dialogue, attention, and compromise. Where Kohlberg's system leave opportunity for arbitration, Gilligan's says that there is no need. Instead of giving people a hard set of rules to live by, or demanding their surrender to a contract, we could talk to them individually and address the situation.

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Kohlberg provides us with the minimal framework by which regulations maintain the necessities of people. If his guidelines are followed, it can be said that everyone who lives by them will be at least partially satisfied. Gilligan, on the other hand, shows us that there is a much deeper level to which we can all aspire. Putting effort into everyday interaction, from talking to listening, can greatly enhance every experience. In doing so, we are not only improving the quality of our own lives, but also the lives of those we interact with.

Finally, I would like to discuss Kohlberg's point of view when considering what I call his "goals". Some have criticized that Kohlberg is trying to objectify morality to a Natural Law, or justice perspective. Although he does seem to abstract characteristics to a societal level, I do not believe that his is an honest attempt to undermine the gathered data integrity. In other words, although it seems he is drawing the same conclusions over and over, he is not distorting it to do so.

Finally, one of the biggest critiques of the caring system is the difference between the first and second stages. While stage one has been criticized for being a regression, stage two has been attacked for being a quantum leap from stage one. The morals and guiding themes of stage two are so diametrically different from that of stage one, that it seems almost an impossible move. Also, there is an argument that stage two admits that stage one was a regression, stage two merely brings us back up to par.

stage's goals w

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Approximate Word count = 5370
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page double spaced)