Self-Interested

I've talked about this briefly on America's Debate, but I don't think I covered here. I try to stay true to the goal that "philosophy is life" so I actually think about such nonsense as will follow in my day to day life.

Up for today Kohlberg's Stages of Morality.

Wikipedia has a great run down for our purposes. I'll quote here:

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional) (up to age 9)

1. Obedience and punishment orientation

2. Self-interest orientation

Level 2 (Conventional) (age nine+ to adolescence)

3. Interpersonal accord and conformity

(a.k.a. The good boy/good girl attitude)

4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation

(a.k.a. Law and order morality)

Level 3 (Post-Conventional)(adulthood)

5. Social contract orientation

6. Universal ethical principles

(a.k.a. Principled conscience)

Since this is largely a political blog, I'll deal with this as it applies to public policy.

Now first thing first, I've been critical of applying human development models to nations and I remain so. I apply this concept not to a "nation" as to the expressed policies of a nation.

Kohlberg meant this concept to apply to people. I am going to use it to apply to ideas. If you think I'm overreaching join the club ;)

I gave that little litany in part to give the reader time to consider. I'd like to think that I, your humble blogger, am so in tune with the human thought process that you have already seen the purpose of my endeavor before I write it explicitly.


All Right... shows what I know....


Public policy in the US and likely much of the rest of the world can still be neatly described by stages of Morality Kohlberg relegated to the thinking of pre-pubescent children.

Specifically stage two:

Stage two espouses the what's in it for me position; right behavior being defined by what is in one's own best interest. Stage two reasoning shows a limited interest in the needs of others, but only to a point where it might further one's own interests, such as "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." Concern for others is not based on loyalty or intrinsic respect in stage two.

This, in fact, with its self-serving logic, is fast becoming an widely accepted position in all morality, though the effects of such incomplete thinking in day-to-day life are so much more immediate and intimate as to relegate this mostly to sociopaths and those on the make.

I, of course, advocate a movement that call upon policymakers to "grow up" so to speak.

Maybe I'll discuss more of that later.