...Steal the loaf of bread and save the family, but be ready to face the consequences for stealing. That is the dilemma. If caught, he will leave his family altogether, unable to provide and give support while he’s incarcerated. Ending up in jail will brand him as neglectful. While it is easy to say that no one should steal and commit any wrongdoing, it is also difficult to give fault to the father for wanting to provide for his family in any way possible. “Desperate times, call for desperate measures” as Hollywood scripts may put it. Maybe as a last resort, they are choosing to do something illegal in order to survive. It is true that stealing is against the law and is ethically wrong. However, is stealing justified if it meant saving the family...
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...For example, subjective relativism is probably the easiest alternative to try out. This is because it is very easy to internally rationalize what is actually right or wrong. As the name of the theory implies, this is subjective to each person, and therein lies the problem. When a person takes an action that harms another, it may not seem bad to that person because no harm has come to them. However, to the other person that action is bad because it did cause harm to them. Therefore, when the same action is viewed by multiple persons, the moral alignment of that action will not likely be viewed as the same by each person. Going back to Kantianism, it seems to have the most appeal because it very closely resembles the divine command theory. A major difference, however, is that the divine command theory may state that it is wrong to steal because it says so in the Bible; whereas Kantianism suggests a logical approach to the situation. By attempting to create a universal law from a moral rule, we can test if it is reasonable or not. The example used in our text states that you should not give a false promise; if everyone gave a false promise then promises would not be believed (Quinn, 2011). Once you apply “everyone” to the same action you are contemplating, it becomes clearer as to whether it is morally right or wrong. I feel...
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...to be moral. (DeGeorge, Pg 22) I know what is considered to be right or wrong and I do not have a problem in determining what is right and wrong according to the values and morals that my parents have instilled in me since I was a young child. As I transitioned into an adult, I realize that morality is a sense of judgment. I usually follow my instincts and the feeling that I get deep down inside to guide my ethical and moral decisions and I use society, laws and my conformity to the norms established in my life as my checks and balance for those societal accepted moral judgments. I make my determination by asking questions and putting myself in the position of others. I would like to one day progress to the Level III, the postconvential, autonomous, or principal and raise questions regarding how society determines those established society norms and why. My goal is to discover how the norms of morality in society is developed, accepted and why. (DeGeorge, Page 24) I know that stealing is wrong, and I don’t think about stealing because society has determined that taking others property that does not belong to them to be unacceptable and wrong. My parents taught me during my early years that there are consequences for taking things that do not belong to me. It was either punishment and an apology or a spanking. I did not like either of the consequence, therefore I refrained from stealing. I always put myself in someone else’s shoes when trying to determine...
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...Ethical Theories Everyday people are faced with decisions that are made using ethical and moral values. There are various ethical theories that philosophers have proposed throughout the last two millennia and I will discuss one theory that I feel is closest to how I make my decisions of right and wrong. Some people use the words of the Bible to make those decisions while some use rationing and reasoning. Whichever ethical theory one uses, they are still making ethical decisions to determine right from wrong. The Kantianism Theory is based on the theories of German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804). Many of the moral laws that Kant speaks of can be found within the Bible but also allows the laws to be derived through the process of reasoning. Meaning that one that follows the Kantianism Theory can explain why an action is right or wrong instead of simply stating it is wrong because it is written within a chapter and verse. Kant believed that moral universal laws should guide people’s actions. For instance, if a friend is wearing an outfit that you believe is not appropriate and they ask your opinion of such outfit, you should tell them the truth because telling the truth is the right thing to do, regardless if the outcome is not what the friend wants to hear. He also believed that people should treat one another as an end and never as a means to an end. For instance, if I go to an interview with the intention of being employed by that company for a short period...
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...working six months. He discovers that his manager is engaging in illegal activities on the job. 3. A mother knows that her 7-year-old child has stolen a box of cookies from the store while she was grocery shopping. 4. A high school friend cheated on his college entrance exam and told you about it. Baltes and his colleagues have organized components of wise judgment into five areas. Understanding each component is important in handling the situation wisely. A seven-year-old child has stolen cookies from the grocery store. How does the mother handle the situation with her son stealing the cookies? Component one is factual knowledge. Component one consists of knowing characteristics and traits shared by humans, how they relate to other people and what is normal behavior. The component helps the mother conclude that stealing cookies is not normal behavior or a characteristic for all children. Stealing is a punishable crime; therefore the right discipline is essential. The mother can think about the process of trial and error during the young years, and realize that it was faze to see what would happen. Component two is procedural knowledge for making a wise judgment. Procedural knowledge is a component that helps the person avoid conflict and still deal with the situation. The person is understanding...
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...chance with the law? Or is it that you are slowly unable to do more things in life? That's why you should stand with me when I say that the laws should be banded fro some people. One group of people who deserve attention and awareness when I comes to the law is children. Kids under the age of 10 should not be punished for stealing. Many kids steal for different reasons. The article My child is stealing says that “very young children sometimes take things they want without understanding that things cost money. Also that it’s wrong to take something without paying for it. It also says that School-aged kids usually know they’re not supposed to take things without paying for it. But sometimes they lack in self-control.Preteens and teens know they’re not supposed to steal yet they do it for fun or because their friends do. Many believe they won’t get caught for it, but others believe it’s for rebellion.Their behavior might be because of stress, of school work or a way to get out of something. From the article Education.com says that “they might steal to live, like if they steal for food or for clothing.An article from the NEW YORK TIMES says...
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...of another from his or her possession with intent to convert them to the takers own use. To say it plainly, larceny is stealing someone else’s property. No matter what reasons there are behind stealing, it is still wrong. I imagine there are many reasons for a person to decide that it is worth the risk to steal something. There are certain people who do not think this is wrong to steal someone else’s property. A large part of this is because people do not understand who or what they are harming when they steal. Most people who commit larceny do not look at the big picture and realize what they are doing and how it affects other people. Even after being caught someone might only feel bad for himself or herself. This is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed both personally and in the masses. Theft has been a major issue since the beginning of interactions among different groups of people. Starting from simple items like food, clothes, and other necessary products, the act of stealing evolved on a vicious scale. In no time, people began to linger for more valuable merchandise. There are many different types of larceny people who shoplift are committing larceny then people who embezzle money from a company are also committing larceny. There are many types of larceny like stealing money from the till and writing IOUs against personal checks. Stealing from the till, or register, theft has to be the most common form of cash larceny simply because it involves direct access...
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...Page 1 Workplace Ethical Dilemma Paper Laura Fisher University of Phoenix January 30,2012 Page 2 There was a time that I was faced a dilemma at my work place. I saw a teacher at my job go into our bosses desk and take money out of the petty cash bag that we have. The teacher went into the office and was going through the desk like they were looking for papers. I saw them unzip the bag and take look through it. When I walked into the office the teacher jumped like she had been shot and told me that she was looking for training material that we had just gone over in our meeting. I never really thought about her taking any money out since she got up and left the desk when I came in the office. The teacher had never stolen anything in the past. There would be times that our boss would send us to the store and tell us to get money out of the bag and make sure that we brought back the receipt. So when I saw her going in the bag I just thought she was told to get money out of it to purchase something for work. Later in the week I told my boss that I need some supplies for my classroom. She told me that she would go get some petty cash out of the bag and let me go get what I needed so that I made sure I had the right stuff to the project. When she went to the cash she could not find the bag. It was not in the spot that she kept it. My boss was looking all around the office to see where the bag may have been placed. She...
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...an invasion of Japan would have been very costly and both sides would have had more losses. An argument against his decision would be that it was wrong to directly target civilians. It also caused long-term damage as many people developed cancer and other illnesses from the radiation left by the atomic bomb. Whether to use the atom bomb on Japan to end the 3 and a half year war. He used it, and it was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Japanese citizens and soldiers. But it did force the Japanese to surrender once and for all. I honestly think this was the wrong way to end the conflict; war is never the answered. Another ethical dilemma that attracts my attention is a situation in which a person is faced with two choices which conflict with their ethical system. Per example in your ethical system stealing is always wrong. Also letting one's family die from starvation is always wrong. A person in such a situation would be forced to commit one wrong to avoid committing another wrong. When it comes to an ethical dilemma a choice must be made and to steal is bad, but not so bad as to let your children starve. It is possible that by stealing the food you could be severely punished or even executed and that in itself is another dilemma. If I were a mother, I would steal food for my children, I know it will consider as a wrong reaction to society or...
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...can’t get over how unfair this was and has tremendous guilt, while Mark doesn’t seem to let it bother him. After Charlie’s death, Bryon dates Cathy and feels torn between Cathy and Mark because the two don’t care for each other. Later on when M&M runs away, Bryon brings Cathy to the house to find him. They notice it is a smoke-filled, commune-style house full of young teenagers doing drugs and they find M&M is completely paranoid. They take him to the hospital where they discover he is having a bad trip in LSD and may never fully recover mentally. The same night, Bryon discovers that Mark was getting money by selling drugs to hippies. Bryon calls the police and they take Mark away to a state reformatory for five years. Mark cannot understand why Bryon turned him in and the following day Bryon is overwhelmed with self-hatred for turning in...
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...consists of knowing the qualities and traits shared by all humans, how they relate to or are associated with other people, and what is socially acceptable as normal behavior. In this situation, the mother knows that stealing is not a trait that is shared by everyone. This is not an acceptable behavior and comes with punishment on many different levels. Procedural knowledge is the second component to making a wise judgment. In this component, one must come up with ways to deal with the situation without conflict. One must offer advice without sounding controlling or demanding of the other person. The mother must explain to the child that what she did was wrong and that instead of just taking something, ask for it. The daughter may not always get what she wants but she did not commit a crime by just taking something without paying for it. Lifespan contextualism is another component to making a wise judgment. In this component one must be aware that life changes on a daily basis and each situation must be handled in a different way. Throughout life, one will have many roles they play in teaching someone how to act or react. In this particular scenario, the mother must set an example for the child. In doing that the child will know as she grows older that stealing is not acceptable and is not a good decision. The fourth component to making a wise judgment is recognition and management of uncertainty. Knowing that not everyone knows everything and what...
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...com/shop/phi-210-exam-2/ Question 1 4 out of 4 points Which of the following practices would MOST likely be considered pseudoscience? Question 2 4 out of 4 points A set of statements designed to convince others that an action or idea is right or wrong is a type of _________. Question 3 4 out of 4 points Cliff wants to determine whether people prefer red apples or green apples. In order to obtain good results, he decides to conduct this survey at a car festival. Out of the 5000 people who attended the festival, Cliff surveys 10 attendees randomly. The survey reads, "Which do you prefer, red apples or green apples?" Seven of ten people surveyed answer that they prefer red apples. From his survey, Cliff concludes that most people prefer red apples. Cliff's results may not be reliable because of which of the following problems with his study? Question 4 4 out of 4 points Courtnie has been allergic to cats as long as she can remember; this requires her doctor to give her an allergy shot. On her 26th birthday she spends the day in a house with cats and has no reaction. Therefore the allergy shot has helped Courtnie overcome her reaction to cats. The explanation for why she had no reaction describes which of the following? Question 5 4 out of 4 points A student is designing an experiment to find out if the following statement is true: "If you get at least six hours of sleep, you will do better in class than...
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...com/shop/phi-210-exam-2/ Question 1 4 out of 4 points Which of the following practices would MOST likely be considered pseudoscience? Question 2 4 out of 4 points A set of statements designed to convince others that an action or idea is right or wrong is a type of _________. Question 3 4 out of 4 points Cliff wants to determine whether people prefer red apples or green apples. In order to obtain good results, he decides to conduct this survey at a car festival. Out of the 5000 people who attended the festival, Cliff surveys 10 attendees randomly. The survey reads, "Which do you prefer, red apples or green apples?" Seven of ten people surveyed answer that they prefer red apples. From his survey, Cliff concludes that most people prefer red apples. Cliff's results may not be reliable because of which of the following problems with his study? Question 4 4 out of 4 points Courtnie has been allergic to cats as long as she can remember; this requires her doctor to give her an allergy shot. On her 26th birthday she spends the day in a house with cats and has no reaction. Therefore the allergy shot has helped Courtnie overcome her reaction to cats. The explanation for why she had no reaction describes which of the following? Question 5 4 out of 4 points A student is designing an experiment to find out if the following statement is true: "If you get at least six hours of sleep, you will do better in class than...
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...for her actions Risk of being ostracized and/or losing her job Risk of allowing people to continue stealing and becoming part of the problem She has to stand by while no one does anything to correct the problem that she knows is wrong. As a result, of poor management she is left with a decision to make. While her intentions are good she is not sure what is the most effective route to take to accomplishing her goals while still keeping the position. There is an element of self interest in this case, as with many ethical dilemmas. Susan could approach the co-workers and demand that they stop, this would turn the group against her and eventually be forced from her position. Alternatively, she could wait until she becomes a manager to change the actions but that would require her to "allow" the activity to continue. This creates a significant dilemma because she must sacrifice personal gain for her employer. She attempts to rationalize "allowing" the action as the best route to changing it. This also provides her with a stable job and the justification sheds light on how she weights her priorities. What influences her perceptions and behaviour? She is influenced by management's decision to" ignore" what is happening. She understands that the owners may not be aware but focuses on the positions that have direct authority on the students and workers stealing. While she has no power herself she believes that with a supervisor position she can use some force and...
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...Joshua Westcott Kohlberg’s Moral Development April 30, 2012 As children’s cognitive abilities mature and expand, so does their ability to reason about moral issues. If we can begin to understand the ways children reason about moral issues, it might help parents and therapists better attune themselves to each child, so as to help each child develop in a positive direction. By attuning to children, the parent or therapist will be better equipped to reason with children at ‘their’ level of development; otherwise, what the adult is trying to communicate will get lost in translation. If we can learn to speak the child’s language, than we can help each child use his or her ‘logic/reasoning’ to effect change in his or her world. Who are the major theorists in the area of moral development? A few of the major theorists in the field of moral development are John Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Elliot Turiel, and Carol Gilligan. Gilligan is a brilliant feminist psychologist who is best known for her 1982 work, “In a Different Voice” (see http://www.amazon.com/In-Different-Voice-Psychological-Development/dp/0674445449/ref=lp_B000APQF3Q_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335926229&sr=1-1). Turiel is best known for developing his ‘domain theory’, which is discussed in his exceptional work, “The Development of Social Knowledge: Morality and Convention” (see http://www.amazon.com/The-Development-Social-Knowledge-Convention/dp/0521273056/ref=lp_B001HD1YF4_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335926449&sr=1-2)...
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