Blog Post #17

Blog Post #17

Piaget vs. Kohlberg Moral Development Theories

Jean Piaget first published his theory of child development during the 1920's but his work did not become prominent until the mid-twentieth century. Piaget is perhaps best known for his theory of children's cognitive development, but he also proposed his own theory about children's moral development. Piaget recognized that cognitive development is closely tied to moral development and was particularly interested in the way children's thoughts about morality changed over time. 

·         According to Piaget, youth develop the morality of cooperation, at the age of 10 years or older. As youth develop a morality of cooperation they realize that in order to create a cooperative society people must work together to decide what is acceptable, and what is not. Piaget believed that youth at this age begin to understand that morals represent social agreements between people and are intended to promote the common good.

·         Youth begin to realize that when situations are handled in a manner that seems fair, reasonable, and/or beneficial to all parties, it becomes easier for people to accept and honor the decision.

·         According to Piaget, once ideal reciprocity has been reached moral development has been completed. However, we now know that many youth will continue to refine their moral decision-making process well into early adulthood.

Lawrence Kohlberg was, for many years, a professor at Harvard University. He became famous for his work there beginning in the early 1970s. He started as a developmental psychologist and then moved to the field of moral education. He was particularly well-known for his theory of moral development which he popularized through research studies conducted at Harvard's Center for Moral Education.

·         The first level of moral thinking is that generally found at the elementary school level. In the first stage of this level, people behave according to socially acceptable norms because they are told to do so by some authority figure (e.g., parent or teacher). This obedience is compelled by the threat or application of punishment. The second stage of this level is characterized by a view that right behavior means acting in one's own best interests.

·         The second level of moral thinking is that generally found in society, hence the name "conventional." The first stage of this level (stage 3) is characterized by an attitude which seeks to do what will gain the approval of others. The second stage is one oriented to abiding by the law and responding to the obligations of duty.

·         The third level of moral thinking is one that Kohlberg felt is not reached by the majority of adults. Its first stage (stage 5) is an understanding of social mutuality and a genuine interest in the welfare of others. The last stage (stage 6) is based on respect for universal principle and the demands of individual conscience. While Kohlberg always believed in the existence of Stage 6 and had some nominees for it, he could never get enough subjects to define it, much less observe their longitudinal movement to it.

 

·         Kohlberg believed that individuals could only progress through these stages one stage at a time. That is, they could not "jump" stages. They could only come to a comprehension of a moral rationale one stage above their own. Thus, according to Kohlberg, it was important to present them with moral dilemmas for discussion which would help them to see the reasonableness of a "higher stage" morality and encourage their development in that direction.

Blog Post #16

Blog Post #16

Case 9-F: Sending the Wrong Message about Doing the Right Thing

The Read a Book ad aired on BET, Black Entertainment Television, on July 20, 2007 is a controversial PSA, Public Service Announcement, which brought bad press among media instead of sharing a positive message among its viewers. “Read a Book, seems to flaunt every negative stereotype in the African-American community,” The New York Times, said. The video features an animated character that bears a striking resemblance to reigning King of Crunk, Lil' Jon. He goes on to say that he used to write songs with "hooks and concepts and shit," paralleling comments from some rappers who have "dumbed down" their music to reach the masses. He says he's ditching the complicated songs in an attempt to "go platinum." What follows is a hilarious and profanity driven ode to common sense. Lines such as "read a book, read a book read a mutha fuckin book… not a sports page, not a magazine, but a book nigga, a fuckin book nigga," dominate the song.
Parenting, the value of buying land over material items, and good hygiene are also touched on. Read a Book original message is to portray ignorance, irresponsible fatherhood, financial responsibility and bad personal hygiene. In the contrary, Read a Book totally fails to portray its original message because instead it insults and ridicules African American culture

To Shoot Or Not To Shoot?

To Shoot Or Not To Shoot?



It is more than true that a picture speaks more than a thousand words. This photograph was taken in June 8^th, 1972 by Nick Ut, an amateur photographer for the Associated Press outside Los Angeles. It’s intention was to communicate the horrors of the Vietnam War in a way words could never describe, helping to end one of the most devastating wars in world history. Now, let’s discuss the following questions:

Crying children, including nine-year-old Kim Phuc, center, run down Route 1 near Trang Bang, Vietnam. Photograph: Nick Ut/AP  

Should this moment be made public?

It was indeed ethical to make this historic moment public, in order to communicate the world the horrors that Vietnamese were experiencing at that time.

Will being photographed send the subjects into further trauma?

In this specific scenario, Kim Phuc, naked girl in the centered of the photograph, was not subject of further trauma. According to the article, I’venever escaped from that moment: Gil in napalm photograph that defined theVietnam War 40 years on, a moment captured in the chaos of war that would serve as both her savior and her course on a journey to understand life’s plan for her.

“I really wanted to escape from that little girl,” says Kim Phuc, now 49. “But seems to me that the picture didn’t let me go.”

Kim Phuc giving a lecture at Oundle Festival of Literature in Cambridgeshire in 2010

Is the end a real good or something that merely appears to be good?  

According to the article, I’ve never escaped from that moment: Gil in napalm photograph that defined the Vietnam War 40 years on, Nick Ut purpose on taking that photo was to call-out attention of the media in order to find an end of the war.

'I cried when I saw her running,' said Ut, whose older brother was killed on assignment with the AP in the southern Mekong Delta. 'If I don't help her - if something happened and she died - I think I'd kill myself after that.'

Blog Post #15

Blog Post#15

 

Windsurfing ad helps sink John Kerry

 

WHAT: “Windsurfing”

WHEN: 2004

 WHO: President George W. Bush (R) vs. Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts

 

 BACKGROUND: As with McGovern, Senator Kerry’s opponent – this time, the Bush campaign itself, rather than a third-party – sought to portray Kerry as a politician prone to changing positions. The image that Kerry hoped would burnish his credentials as an athletic, adventuresome sporting enthusiast was instead used to portray him as a “flip-flopper,” a label that stuck through his loss to President Bush.

 Analysis

When election time comes, politicians usually find the way to come out with advertisements that usually portray the flaws of their opponent. For example, Bush campaign against Senator Kerry. According to Kant’s categorical imperative: Don’t deceive a trusting audience with manipulated reality and don’t offend an unsuspecting audience with your gritty reality. Politicians should actually focus on gaining votes through detailed and specific economic, political and social campaign plans that will actually compromise with its nation. Another example, will be Obama v. Romney political campaigns. Both Obama and Romney need to put aside their rival attitudes and focus on their presidential campaign weaknesses. Obama needs to come out with a more specific, clear and detailed action plan about what he is planning to do in order to promote economic growth. On the other side, Romney needs to focus strictly on changing his attitude because that has caused him a negative image among Americans. There should be stopping point because money, time and credibility is wasted with this type of advertisement that’s only goal is to swing votes instead of looking for solutions for a better country stability.