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Mr. Lambers refuses to pay income taxes because his conscience will not allow him to support a government that spends billions of dollars on military weapons. Mr. Lambers' reasoning best illustrates Kohlberg's ________ stage.

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Answer:

The correct answer is postconventional

Step-by-step explanation:

The postconventional level is the level of understanding and acceptance of the general moral principles that inspire norms: rationally chosen principles weigh more than norms. It is made up of stage 5 and stage 6.

Stage 5: Priority rights and social contract

It is the stadium of openness to the world. It is recognized that in addition to the family, group and country itself, all human beings have the right to life and freedom, rights that are above all social institutions or conventions. Openness to the world leads, in the second place, to recognize the relativity of norms and values, but it is assumed that legitimate laws are only those obtained by consensus or social contract. Now, if a norm goes against life or liberty, the moral obligation of not accepting and confronting it is imposed.

Stage 6: Universal ethical principles

It is made aware that there are universal ethical principles that must be followed and have priority over conventional legal and institutional obligations. It works according to these principles because, as a rational being, validity has been captured and he feels committed to following them. In this stage the golden rule of morality prevails: "do to the other what I want for me". And you have the courage to face the laws that undermine universal ethical principles such as human dignity or equality. It is the supreme moral stage, that of Gandhi, of Martin Luther King and that of all people who live deeply in morality.

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