Joseph was a conscientious objector during world war ii because he believed that all wars are immoral. joseph is in lawrence kohlberg's stage of moral development, because joseph is using his own moral guidelines to guide his behavior, apart from society's rules.

The answer is post-conventional stage of moral development. This is set apart by a developing acknowledgment that people are separate substances from society, and that the person's own particular point of view may overshadow society's view; people may ignore rules conflicting with their own particular standards. Post-ordinary moralists live by their own moral standards—rules that commonly incorporate such fundamental human rights as life, freedom, and equity.