New Technique for Teaching Military Ethics

摘要

This essay suggests that ethical behavior of military members could be improved through the use of a teaching technique based on Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development. Unlike many theories of ethics which focus on values education, the Kohlberg Theory focuses on a person's cognitive abilities or capacity for moral reasoning, a capacity which develops in five distinct stages. As not all people reach the highest stage, a problem in communication can occur when a supervisor uses a different stage of reasoning than the subordinates he is trying to influence. To effectively communicate ethical ideas, both the supervisor and subordinate must reason at some level. As it is very difficult to determine his subordinate's stage of reasoning, a supervisor should try to use reasoning from a variety of stages in discussing ethical issues. By understanding and using the various stages of reasoning, supervisors can more effectively communicate and influence ethical decision making and behavior in their subordinates. Keywords: Military ethics; Interpersonal communications; Teaching methods.