ABSTRACT

Since its inception, moral development theory has had multidisciplinary implications. Although originally developed by psychologists, the nature of the subject matter-moral thinking-had implications beyond psychology Indeed, Piaget’s work, beginning as it did between the two World Wars, became most influential after World War II when academics as well as politicians tried figure out at the deepest, human level what had happened in Nazi Germany

This book, too, comes at a particular time in history one when social institutions are under serious and long-term stress, and where many of the social sciences, psychology among them, are integrating both the knowledge and the tools of sciences, such as biology to further disciplinary understanding. The fact that many disciplines speak to one question is a potential pitfall; saying something uninformed in a biological or philosophical sense will encourage scholars in those disciplines to reject essential findings. The opportunity to enrich theory is equally great. Psychology, professional ethics, and philosophy have much to say to one another. This chapter represents our attempt to develop interdisciplinary insights, always keeping in mind that theoretical development is possible only when disciplinary understandings are taken seriously.