Relationship between ethics and economics in Islamic: Critical comparison of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

Moral development is a process leading to improvement of moral standards such as moral reasoning and attitude, moral emotions, internalization of moral principles and practical commitment to moral norms. Among the prevalent views on moral development is Kohlberg’s view. In the present study, while accepting his theoretical framework (six-stage system for development of moral reasoning), we have dealt with exploring the relationship between this type of development and development of economic utilities (production, distribution and accumulation of wealth). This study is a library research and has been conducted using written documents. The main question is as follows: “What is the relationship between mechanism and stages of development of moral reasoning and judgment on the one hand and individuals’ favorable economic performance on the other hand?” This relationship has been studied in a reciprocal way (mutual effect). The results of the research show that the stages of moral development have a direct relationship with the indexes of economic development. Some stages of development, however, require the attachment of a certain public culture pack so that the aforementioned relationship may be established. On the other hand, promotion of economic conditions (production of refined wealth and just distribution of it) prepares the ground for moral development in Kohlberg’s view. Here, Islamic ethics - both on maximum and minimum levels - not only avoids encouragement of despicable austerity but also prepares the ground for economic development.