The discussion of moral dilemmas is often proposed as one way to teach ethics. But can ethics be taught to everyone? Do participants’ value orientations predict the acquisition of moral competence in an educational context? This study presents data from an evaluation of a course on the social consequences of information technology (IT). IT-related dilemma discussions were used extensively in th...

A vigorous research literature focused on early childhood conscience, prosocial behavior, and empathy— and also theory of mind, emotion understanding, and social cognition—has important implications for moral development theory. It offers a new understanding of the early conceptual, affective, and relational foundations of moral development. In addition, it provides the opportunity to create a ...

This study examined relations between parenting dimensions (involvement, autonomy support and structure) and adolescents’ moral values internalisation. A sample of 101 adolescents (71% female; 76% white; M age516.10, SD51.17) reported on the parenting behaviour of one of their parents and on their own moral values. Four forms of values regulation were assessed (external, introjected, identified...

Why do victims sometimes receive sympathy for their suffering and at other times scorn and blame? Here we show a powerful role for moral values in attitudes toward victims. We measured moral values associated with unconditionally prohibiting harm ("individualizing values") versus moral values associated with prohibiting behavior that destabilizes groups and relationships ("binding values": loya...

Why do victims sometimes receive sympathy for their suffering and at other times scorn and blame? Here we show a powerful role for moral values in attitudes toward victims. We measured moral values associated with unconditionally prohibiting harm (“individualizing values”) versus moral values associated with prohibiting behavior that destabilizes groups and relationships (“binding values”: loya...

Introduction The recent EPAT issue on Peirce and education (2005, 37/2) has explored Charles Sanders Peirce’s pragmatism mainly with regard to the problematics of learning and acquiring knowledge. This paper will shift the focus toward the moral dimension inherent in pragmatic philosophy. I will introduce a neologism, “moral stuttering”, as pertaining to real life problem solving and ethical de...

one of the most significant issues in meta–ethics is moral realism, which has been criticized so much. one of the main criticisms of it has been offered by j.l. mackie. he believes that moral properties depend upon our feelings and emotions and they don't refer to reality; so, they have no causal explanation and cannot give us any knowledge. therefore any judgment about moral properties is...