Bain Kristy PHI 208 Final
Ethics: A Learned Behavior
Kristy Bain
PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Mitra Rokni
August 11, 2013
Ethics: A Learned Behavior Ethics are the principles of humanity which determine right and wrong in all aspects of living and decision making. Lawrence Kohlberg, a Harvard psychologist, found that people develop ethically through different stages of human life (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, S.J., & Meyer, 1987, par. 10). One of the greatest aids to ethical development is education, especially education which demands a student to evaluate ethical situations and reactions. Humans begin to establish a foundation of moral and ethical guidelines as children when they face punishments for bad behavior. The development of ethics in children is also very dependent upon the example of the parents. A person will continue to learn and grow ethically through life depending upon the influences around him/her. This is an ever evolving lesson as most people are extremely influenced by society and the beliefs of those around them. Some people believe that ethics are an established set of rules that are adaptively understood throughout the world. This does not seem to be a valid option as so many people believe differently about nearly all subjects of human life and progression. While ethics is a solid boundary for moral decision making, these principles are derived from the relative world in which each person in immersed. Ethics are more than a natural belief thrust upon the minds of the human species, ethics are taught, demonstrated, and most importantly learned. As children, people are taught to determine right from wrong through disciplinary actions and/or positive reinforcement. Toddlers learn that biting is the wrong avenue to win an argument and they also learn that saying please and thank you will result in pleasures and praise. If a child is asked why biting is wrong, he/she will probably not reply that it hurts others and is not nice; however, he/she will
Kristy Bain
PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Mitra Rokni
August 11, 2013
Ethics: A Learned Behavior Ethics are the principles of humanity which determine right and wrong in all aspects of living and decision making. Lawrence Kohlberg, a Harvard psychologist, found that people develop ethically through different stages of human life (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, S.J., & Meyer, 1987, par. 10). One of the greatest aids to ethical development is education, especially education which demands a student to evaluate ethical situations and reactions. Humans begin to establish a foundation of moral and ethical guidelines as children when they face punishments for bad behavior. The development of ethics in children is also very dependent upon the example of the parents. A person will continue to learn and grow ethically through life depending upon the influences around him/her. This is an ever evolving lesson as most people are extremely influenced by society and the beliefs of those around them. Some people believe that ethics are an established set of rules that are adaptively understood throughout the world. This does not seem to be a valid option as so many people believe differently about nearly all subjects of human life and progression. While ethics is a solid boundary for moral decision making, these principles are derived from the relative world in which each person in immersed. Ethics are more than a natural belief thrust upon the minds of the human species, ethics are taught, demonstrated, and most importantly learned. As children, people are taught to determine right from wrong through disciplinary actions and/or positive reinforcement. Toddlers learn that biting is the wrong avenue to win an argument and they also learn that saying please and thank you will result in pleasures and praise. If a child is asked why biting is wrong, he/she will probably not reply that it hurts others and is not nice; however, he/she will