VII The Development of Morals—Genetic Concepts of Ethics

Abstract

This chapter deals with genetic concepts of ethics, and this in two ways: on the one hand from an evolutionary and on the other from a developmental psychological perspective. Charles Darwin is exemplary for the theory of evolution. For him, morality develops from a “social instinct” that is also found in animals. In addition, humans are characterized by conscience, which, according to Darwin, “can be referred to as a moral being with certainty”. Sigmund Freud also plays an important role in the development of conscience, but from a developmental psychological point of view. The commands and prohibitions of the parents create a super-ego in the child, which is internalized and thus becomes conscience. The moral development of the child is empirically examined by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg. For them, the child goes through specific stages of moral development.