Anne Colby Books
Anne Colby is a consulting professor at Stanford University and has collaborated extensively with Damon on studies of moral and character education.
Known for: The Power of Ideals: The Real Story of Moral Choice
Books by Anne Colby
The Power of Ideals: The Real Story of Moral Choice
This book explores the lives and moral choices of six twentieth-century leaders who exemplified virtues such as truthfulness, humility, and faith. Damon and Colby, both leading scholars in moral development, challenge deterministic views of human behavior and argue that moral excellence and ideals can guide individuals toward meaningful and ethical lives. Through detailed case studies, they demonstrate how moral conviction can shape decisions and inspire social progress.
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Theoretical Framework: Ideals, Agency, and Moral Development
Our work builds upon the strong foundation of moral development theory, especially the traditions following William James, Lawrence Kohlberg, and other thinkers who saw morality not as a fixed trait but as a developmental achievement. Yet we found that most theories of moral development left out som...
From The Power of Ideals: The Real Story of Moral Choice
Critique of Moral Determinism
One of our main aims in writing this book was to challenge the pervasive belief that morality is simply an illusion—the product of genes, instincts, or cultural conditioning. From the early behaviorists to the evolutionary psychologists of our own era, many have claimed that human beings cannot trul...
From The Power of Ideals: The Real Story of Moral Choice
About Anne Colby
Anne Colby is a consulting professor at Stanford University and has collaborated extensively with Damon on studies of moral and character education.
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Anne Colby is a consulting professor at Stanford University and has collaborated extensively with Damon on studies of moral and character education.
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