ethics week3

• Moral character is a personality trait or disposition that has become habituated in the individual moral agent and is developed, nurtured and cultivated.
• Both philosophers acknowledged the importance of the moral development of men and women.
• One's moral character is not a possession like fine clothes or a house or even a Ph.D., but it may still be more or less one's own in a familiar sense, just as one's opinions and creed may be more or less one's own.
• Moral character is not something that is imposed from the outside, but something that springs from the will of the moral agent.
• A moral character develops as the individual grows into maturity.
• Moral character traits must be praiseworthy and must have the content because of the agent's active discrimination rather than from the others, and it must have a reference to the value-making dimensions of the traits.
• The moral agent has a responsibility for her own character.
• The phrase "The individual is responsible for his character" means that she is the "one who is active in a certain way in the shaping of it".
• One's character is shaped first and foremost by the will power of the individual as it is habituated.
• Gilligan sees it logical that before one cares for another, one must care for herself first.
• According to Gilligan, the self can only be "itself" because of the presence of the others, they are interdependent.
• Gilligan argues that an individual cannot live part from others, and that one's concern for others has a higher value than the concern for personal survival.
• According to Gilligan, as the individual matures, she realizes that she is not alone and starts to acknowledge that the self is also related with other selves in the community.
• Gilligan acknowledged that initially the self cares for itself in order to survive.
• Gilligan recognizes the presence of other selves in the community as a transition from self-interest to being concerned with others.
• Gilligan's theory emphasizes the ethics of care, focusing on the individual's responsibility and personal commitment towards oneself, others, and the common good.
• Gilligan's theory implies relationship, obligations, and responsibilities towards the other and the world as a whole.
• One's character is also practiced everyday as part of self-determination.
• Kohlberg's theory suggests that moral development is hierarchical and in the process of development, one cannot just proceed to a higher stage without passing through the lower ones.
• A virtuous individual is cautious not falling into two extremes, that is, excess and deficiency.
• Aristotle's theory on character begins with the idea that as a rational animal capable of decision making, the human person has to decide morally one way or the other.
• Gilligan believes that this value of self and others determines one's moral decision.
• A virtuous individual is one who does the right thing based on moderation.
• Gilligan's theory of moral development is composed of three phases, that is, the concern for survival, goodness, and the imperative of care.
• Kohlberg focuses on men's moral development while Gilligan focuses on women.
• If one recognizes that a moral act is something that would eventually lead to a better life in the society, then that person would be willing to do such act.
• One's decision, according to Aristotle, is influenced by one's character.
• Gilligan's theory suggests that the standard or criteria for moral decision is caring for the others and the world at large.
• Aristotle, Kohlberg and Gilligan's theories of moral development should be viewed simply as guideposts in moral decision making; they should not be taken as absolute.
• Kohlberg and Gilligan offer us two frameworks of moral development, each complementing the other.
• Kohlberg's theory also received fierce criticism most notably from the American psychologist Carol Gilligan, who argued that Kohlberg's theory neglect the patterns manifested on women's moral development.
• Kohlberg's theory on moral development broke new ground in morality.
• Gilligan acknowledged the influence of Kohlberg in her thinking while she was working with him as a research assistant.
• The post-conventional level, which is focused on the common good and universal moral principles is the most challenging one.
• Kohlberg believes that this stage is important because there is a higher value in obeying the law than by simply seeking the approval of one's peers.
• According to Kohlberg, the fifth and sixth stages belong to this level.
• Gilligan's work challenged Kohlberg's theory in terms of its generalizability.
• For Kohlberg, laws can only be accepted or approved relative to the common good of the society.
• Gilligan's theory of moral development is composed of three phases, that is, the concern for survival, goodness, and the imperative of care.
• In fact, as Kohlberg (1987) says, this stage is anchored on the understanding of social mutuality and genuine interest in the welfare of others.