When ‘is’ is ought: A dynamic, relational developmental systems-based model of moral development—The Kohlberg memorial lecture of 2026

Human beings are fundamentally relational organisms. From the very beginning of life, the survival of a human being and, across life, human well-being depend on mutually influential and mutually beneficial relationships between individuals and their interpersonal, sociocultural, and physical ecological contexts. Using concepts derived from dynamic, relational developmental systems metatheory, I present a model wherein moral development emerges through and is constituted by increasingly complex dynamic relationships that sustain and enrich human life. In this model, mutually beneficial individual ⇔ individual coactions are the foundation of human survival, development, and flourishing, and their promotion, maintenance, and growth among individuals, social groups (such as families), communities, nations, and the physical ecology of the planet are the essence of moral behavior and development. There are profound convergences between this conception of morality and moral development and theological anthropology, and these convergences open new pathways for dialogue between developmental science and religion and collaborations aimed at saving our world from the actions of individuals and groups who possess absences in positive moral development.