Moral development is a fascinating study.

Recently, I was sitting in a classroom where values development for people, 18-30 years old, was being discussed. William Perry’s theory of intellectual and ethical development, obviously the favorite of the professor, was being digested by the knowledge hungry students. Let me summarize the theory for you:

The more relativistic you are, the higher levels of intellectual and ethical development you have achieved.

You can visit here for more information. Catch the irony with me: the more incomprehensible decisions of right and wrong become, the higher intellectual and ethical development you possess. Or, put another way, the more you think in terms of right and wrong, the more immature you are. Ridiculous?

This is yet another example where an academician has ‘educated himself into imbecility’. The question that I would like to ask Mr. Perry is this, “Do you believe that your theory is right?” If not, then why is he a proponent? If so, hasn’t he just proven his theory false?

Relativism in all its forms is incoherent because of the Aristolian law of non-contradiction which states, “one cannot say of something that it is and that it is not in the same respect and at the same time” (wiki). The car can not be parked on the street and not parked on the street at the same time without another clarifier (i.e. time). Of course, Perry would probably deconstruct his way out of my questions.

But, as I left the class, I looked around and saw the next generation of Kenneth Lays and went home pessimistic.