Moral Resoning

 Over the past week or so we have been hearing about the Charlie Hebdo cartoon incident where a satirical magazine illustrated the prophet Muhammad, which in Muslim religion it is strictly against their faith to depict their prophet. This resulted in attacks on the creators of Charlie Hebdo ending in many deaths and injuries. This news brings up one concept that is of interest to me, and that is moral reasoning. When do we think something is right or wrong, and how do we learn that? For the controversy mentioned above there is no correct answer at this moment over freedom of speech and what lines should be drawn and when. Why did Charlie Hebdo think it was okay for them to disrespect a religion practiced among thousands of people. Or why did some people think that killing the creators was acceptable? Kohlberg’s theory of moral development suggest that there are 3 stages of moral development: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. In the pre-conventional stage (suggested to be those of 9 years or younger) will obey rules to avoid punishment or receive rewards. In the conventional stage (suggested to be most adolescents and adults) will obey rules to avoid disapproval and maintain social order. In the post-conventional stage (suggested to be those of minority) will follow laws for the welfare of the larger community, or believe in and follow self-chosen universal ethical principles. Although there were some limitations to Kohlberg’s theory because it was based on western cultures it can somewhat depict the moral reasoning in the Charlie Hebdo controversy. Those of Islamic culture may feel threatened when Charlie Hebdo disrespected their faith thus leading them to feel in the minority. Perhaps, in order to protect their faith of their larger community, the Muslim faith, they felt as though it was necessary for the French to serve justice. To them maybe death was the ultimate justice they thought was needed. Note the emphasis on 'thought'. The answer may lie in psychological processing. Different cultures offer different experiences which ultimately shape the way each person thinks and views the world. This creates the differences we see among people on whether they view a situation as right or wrong.