1927 – 1987
Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987) was an American psychologist and moral philosopher whose stage theory of moral development became one of the most influential frameworks in 20th-century ethics and developmental psychology. A professor at Harvard University, he extended Piaget's cognitive-developmental approach to moral reasoning, arguing that moral development proceeds through universal, invariant stages driven by cognitive maturation and social experience. His work sparked significant debate about gender bias in moral psychology, most notably through Carol Gilligan's critique that his framework privileged justice-based reasoning over care-based reasoning associated with women's moral experience.
Developed the six-stage theory of moral development, organized into pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional levels
Established moral education as a rigorous academic and empirical discipline through the 'just community' approach
Extended Piaget's cognitive-developmental framework into adolescent and adult moral reasoning
Provided the theoretical foundation that prompted Gilligan's ethics of care, reshaping discourse on gender and moral philosophy
Founded the Center for Moral Education at Harvard, institutionalizing moral development research