Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987) After graduating from high school in 1945, Kohlberg joined the Merchant Marine. In Europe, he witnessed the aftermath of World War II and met many Holocaust survivors. After finishing his service in the Merchant Marine, Kohlberg helped smuggle Jewish refugees into what was then British-controlled Palestine. He was caught and briefly imprisoned by the British but escaped and eventually made his way back to the United States (Schwartz, 2004). Years later, Kohlberg (1988) wrote, “My experience with illegal immigration into Israel raised all sorts of moral questions, issues which I saw as issues of justice. Was using death or violence right or just for a political end? When is it permissible to be involved with violent means for supposedly just ends?” Kohlberg was to be preoccupied with themes of justice and morality for the rest of his life.

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