moral absolutism

the belief that the morality or immorality of an action can be judged according to fixed standards of right and wrong. According to Jean Piaget, moral absolutism is characteristic of young children in the heteronomous stage of moral development, who interpret laws and rules as absolute. See moral realism. Compare moral relativism; situation ethics.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

paradigm clash

in science or philosophy, the conflict that occurs when a new set of fundamental assumptions about reality or human knowledge proves incompatible with an established set of such assumptions. For example, the doctrine of organic evolution challenged established thinking about the origin and nature of the living world and ultimately replaced previous theories.