the conventional level of reasoning judgement of right or wrong is based on
Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development
In Stage six ( universal ethical principles driven ) , moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles . Laws are valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice , and a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey unjust laws . Legal rights are unnecessary , as social contracts are not essential for deontic moral action . Decisions are not reached hypothetically in a conditional way but rather categorically in an absolute way , as in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant . This involves an individual imagining what they would do in another 's shoes , if they believed what that other person imagines to be true . The resulting consensus is the action taken . In this way action is never a means but always an end in itself ; the individual acts because it is right , and not because it avoids punishment , is in their best interest , expected , legal , or previously agreed upon . Although Kohlberg insisted that stage six exists , he found it difficult to identify individuals who consistently operated at that level . Touro College Researcher Arthur P. Sullivan helped support the accuracy of Kohlberg 's first five stages through data analysis , but could not provide statistical evidence for the existence of Kohlberg 's sixth stage . Therefore , it is difficult to define / recognize as a concrete stage in moral development .
In Stage six ( universal ethical principles driven ) , moral reasoning is based on abstract reasoning using universal ethical principles . Laws are valid only insofar as they are grounded in justice , and a commitment to justice carries with it an obligation to disobey unjust laws . Legal rights are unnecessary , as social contracts are not essential for deontic moral action . Decisions are not reached hypothetically in a conditional way but rather categorically in an absolute way , as in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant . This involves an individual imagining what they would do in another 's shoes , if they believed what that other person imagines to be true . The resulting consensus is the action taken . In this way action is never a means but always an end in itself ; the individual acts because it is right , and not because it avoids punishment , is in their best interest , expected , legal , or previously agreed upon . Although Kohlberg insisted that stage six exists , he found it difficult to identify individuals who consistently operated at that level . Touro College Researcher Arthur P. Sullivan helped support the accuracy of Kohlberg 's first five stages through data analysis , but could not provide statistical evidence for the existence of Kohlberg 's sixth stage . Therefore , it is difficult to define / recognize as a concrete stage in moral development .