Meaning One approach is to try to steer clear of philosophical entanglements and simply equate morality with social conditioning.

Thus in chapter 6 H. J. Eysenck defines conscience as a conditioned reflex ! an anxiety"#ased a$oidance of acts that ha$e #een punished #y society. %erkowit& '()6*+ gi$es a parallel definition of moral $alues as e$aluations of action #elie$ed #y mem#ers of a gi$en society to #e right!. , #etter or at least a more #asic question would #e what is a moral principle- .awrence /ohl#erg is $irtually the only contemporary psychologist to em#race philosophy as essential to defining what is moral as the first required step in the study of moral de$elopment. He argues that only the epistemological #linders! of logical positi$ism and #eha$iorism 'equating knowing with learning and learning with #eha$ior+ ha$e kept psychologists from seeing that the concept of morality is itself a philosophical 'ethical+ rather than a #eha$ioral concept! 'kohl$erg ()0(a p.(12+. To define the distincti$ely moral ! /ohl$erg turns in chapter 2 to the moral categories analy&ed #y moral philosophy.! This line of analysis leads him to the conclusion that the most essential structure of morality! is the principle of 3ustice and that the core of 3ustice is the distri#ution of right and duties regulated #y concepts of equality and reciprocity.! 4n a speech on educating for 3ustice /ohl#erg '()05+ distinguishes #etween a moral principle and a concrete rule of action6 Justice is not a rule or a set of rules; it is a moral principle. By moral principle we mean a mode of choosing which is universal, a rule of choosing which we want all people to adopt always in all situation. We know it is all right to be dishonest and steal to save a life because it is just, because a mans right to life comes before another mans right to property. We khow it is sometimes right to kill, because it is sometimes just. he !ermans who tried to kill "itler were doing right because respect for the e#ual values of lives demands that we kill someone murdering others in order to save their lives. here are e$ceptions to rules, then , but no e$ception t priciples. % moral ovligation is an obligation to respect the right or clain of another person. % moral principle is a principle for resolving competing claims, you versus me, you versus a third person. ere is only one principled basis for resolving claims& justice or e#uality. reat every mans claim impartially regardless of the man. % moral principle is not only a rule of action but reason for actin. %s a reason for action, justice is called respect for persons. 'ohlberg ()*+), has argued at length tat it is logically possible to move from his description of what moral stage development is to a statement of what such development ought to be. By this logic, the chronologically latr stges are higher or better, and their development should be fostered.