Question

Compare and contrast Gilligan's view and Kohlberg's view of moral reasoning. Cite examples from the text. (Chapters 11, 12)

Answer 1

Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan made significant contributions to the field of moral reasoning. Both of the views are very inter-related with Gilligan stating that her view was in fact an extention of Kohlberg's view and not necessarily a view against his.
Kohlberg defined 3 stages of moral development which were subdivided into 2 stages each, givin a total of 6 stages. Kohlberg came to the conclusion that women would only reach stage 3 whereas men were consistant at stage 4 and 5. The 3 stages were divided as - Preconventional Stage (moral judgements are based on fear of punishment and are purely ego-centric), Conventional Stage (judgements are made on society's rules and expectations), and Post Conventional Stage (judgements are based on logic and moral conduct).
Gilligan was a student of Kohlberg and questioned whether women were really inferior to men when it came to moral reasoning. She found out that the tests conducted by Kohlberg were primarily done on men and there wasnt enough representation of women. Gilligan conducted her own tests and came out with 3 stages of the same name but were contrasted in that it included constructs of relationships and emotions, rather than primary logic. Gilligan's 3 stages are: Preconventional Stage (importance is given to self survival and practicality), Conventional Stage (importance is given to relationships with others), and Post-Conventional Stage ( importance is given to universal truths and a sense of equality among others).
   Thus, though their views are interrelated to each other, the Care vs. Justice debate continues till date.