Reasoning or Rhetoric? An Empirical Analysis of Moral Reasoning Explanations in Large Language Models
The study tested if large language models genuinely reason morally or just mimic mature moral reasoning through alignment training, a phenomenon called 'moral ventriloquism.' Researchers found that LLM responses overwhelmingly resemble post-conventional moral reasoning stages, regardless of model size or training. This suggests models acquire the language of maturity without developing the actual underlying developmental progression.