TLESSON 7: FORUM

What about you?

Would you steal the drug? Why?
Consequence: Your wife dies

Would you steal the drug? Why?

Consequence: You go to prison
https://screeble.com/blog/2017/02/14/thinking-exercise-heinz-dilemma/
https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-heinz-dilemma-might-reveal-that-morality-is-meaning-1569136649

The Heinz Dilemma is a famous moral thought experiment that’s supposed to tell us about a person’s moral
development. The Heinz Dilemma is about Heinz’s wife who was dying because of a special kind of cancer.
There was only one medicine that the doctors thought that might cure her, but it was an advanced formula that a
pharmaceutical company had recently discovered. This drug was extremely costly to produce due to high-cost
equipment and singular production techniques. On top of that, the company was selling the drug at a price
tenfold the production costs. Heinz went to everyone he knew to borrow money but he could only collect half of
what the drug costs. He sought an audience with the CEO of the pharmaceutical company, told him that his wife
was dying and begged him to sell the drug cheaper or allowed him to defer the payment. But the CEO refused.
He couldn’t make any exception as they had spent massive funds in the research and equipment, and turning in
a profit was the top priority for the company. Heinz was torn if he would steal the drugs or not.

There are possible actions that Heinz would do in the situation he is in. These actions or decisions includes the
following:

1. Heinz should NOT steal the drug because he would be put to prison for his crime.
2. Heinz should steal the drug because he would feel gratified and happier.
3. Heinz should steal the drug because he’s a good husband and it’s expected of him to do so by his wife.
4. Heinz should steal the drug but be incarcerated because he broke the law.
5. Heinz should steal the drug because saving a life is more important than breaking the law.
6. Heinz should steal the drug but NOT be incarcerated because the law would be unjust if it penalized an
individual for saving a life.
7. Heinz should not steal the drug, because stealing is bad and he is not a criminal; he has tried to do everything
he can without breaking the law, you cannot blame him.
8. Heinz should not steal the drug, because the scientist has a right to fair compensation. Even if his wife is sick,
it does not make his actions right.
Heinz Dilemma implies that people can take the same situation, and bicker the same principles when it comes to
social roles, the importance of interpersonal relationships, the prospect of punishment and pure humanitarian
principles which later on come to exactly opposite moral conclusions. We, humans, do this in our whole lives.

If I were Heinz, I will think twice or even thrice before making an action. Stealing and giving up on my wife’s
condition are not the only options in this world. Before making an action I must think of all the possibilities. For
example, if I will steal the drugs who would take good care of my wife? Who will do the work? Making
decisions when things are blurry and my mind is in turmoil won’t lead to a good result. Therefore, I must
consider who will be affected the most and that is my family. Actions must be decided accordingly and wisely
because once an action is done, we can no longer undo it. Worst, regrets will always be at the end. Stealing
means breaking the law so as over-pricing. Instead of breaking a law, stealing, why not use law to solve this
problem.

LESSON 7: QUIZ
Using Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, What would be the answer of the person in every stage
to the question in the story?
Moral development is a step-by-step process. In Kohlberg’s Stage of Moral Development, there are three levels
in the moral development of a person which are the Pre- Conventional Level, Conventional Level and Post-
Conventional Level, and each levels incorporate two stages.
Pre- Conventional Level
Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Driven
Answer/s:
 Heinz SHOULD NOT STEAL the drug because he would be put to prison for his crime.
 Heinz SHOULD STEAL THE DRUG, because it is only worth 200 dollars and not how much the
druggist wanted for it; Heinz had even offered to pay for it and was not stealing anything else.
Stage 2: Self- Interest Driven
Answer/s:
 Heinz SHOULD NOT STEAL THE DRUG, because prison is an awful place, and he would more
likely languish in a jail cell than over his wife’s death.
 Heinz SHOULD STEAL THE DRUG because he would feel gratified and happier.

Conventional Level
Stage 3: Interpersonal Accord & Conformity Driven
Answer/s:
 Heinz SHOULD NOT STEAL THE DRUG because stealing is bad and he is not a criminal; he has
tried to do everything he can without breaking the law.
 Heinz SHOULD STEAL THE DRUG because he’s a good husband and it’s expected of him to do so
by his wife.
Stage 4: Authority & Social-order Obedience Driven
Answer/s:
 Heinz SHOULD NOT STEAL THE DRUG, because the law prohibits stealing.
 Heinz SHOULD STEAL THE DRUG but be incarcerated because he broke the law.

Post- Conventional Level

Stage 5: Social Contract Driven
Answer/s:
 Heinz SHOULD NOT STEAL THE DRUG because the scientists has a right to fair compensation.
Even if his wife is sick, it does not make his actions right.

 Heinz SHOULD STEAL THE DRUG because everyone has a right to choose life, regardless of the
law.
Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles Driven
Answer/s:
  Heinz SHOULD NOT STEAL THE DRUG because others may need the medicine just as badly, and
their lives are equally significant.

 Heinz SHOULD STEAL THE DRUG because saving a human life is more fundamental value than the
property rights of another.

LESSON 8 FEELINGS, REASONS AND IMPARTIALITY

Activity 1: Comment on this statement
“I have a very strong feeling about it, it must be true”
“This might be the correct answer because I have a strong feeling on this one”

“I think that we don’t have a class today because I have this strong feeling that our professor can’t make it”

“I have this strong feeling that he is the one”

Written above are just some of scenarios wherein people let their feelings judge what is true and what will
happen. There are instances that we, humans, tend to believe what we’re feeling most especially if that feeling
is strong and encouraging. We let our feelings or emotions dictate what is true and what is not, and this mindset
must be observed properly.
It is okay if we want our feelings to be true, believe that it is true and think that it is true. However, we must put
in mind that even if we believe our feelings to be true, it doesn’t it is really true; feelings are fleeting. Often
times, words and stories that we tell to ourselves are very useless. Finding the truth is very tricky and must be
seek carefully and wisely.
Based on my experiences, feelings are not to be trusted most especially in telling the truth because, usually,
feelings just tell us whatever they tell us and, sometimes, it resulted from what we want to hear. Feelings are
more about beliefs but it is not supported by evidence that makes it true. Let’s say for example, Hitler believed
that black people and Jews are inferior but what he believed was never true; a belief is something not verifiable,
therefore it can’t be considered as truth. To see things clearly and be able to see a genuine truth we must
suppress our feelings otherwise we will end up regretting the decisions we’ve made.

Activity 2: Questions
A.) Is there any difference with how you assess things based from feelings and based from reason and
impartiality?
Based on my own perspective, assessing things based from feelings are far different from assessing things based
from reason and impartiality. What makes them different from one another is that when we assessed things
based on our feelings it might be irrational and, perhaps, nothing but products of prejudice, selfishness, or
cultural conditioning which is the total opposite if we’re going to assess things based from reason and
impartiality. If we’re going to base from reason and impartiality when assessing things, we’re be able to avoid
prejudice and we’re be able to apply critical reasoning using logical and argument, and we apply rules to all. In
reason and impartiality, discrimination is unacceptably arbitrary and every person’s interests are equally
important.
B.) Which is a sounder way of assessing you judgement on situation?
Based on my personal experiences, every time I based from my feelings in assessing my judgement on a
particular situation I end up regretting. Just like what I’ve written in the first activity in this specific lesson,
feelings are fleeting which means feelings are cannot be trusted. For me, basing from feelings in assessing
judgements is unequivocally wrong, and dangerous. Unlike, if we’re basing from reason and impartiality
because this is a proscription against arbitrariness. We must remember that moral judgement must be backed by
good reason and morality requires the impartial consideration of each person’s interest. Our decisions or our
judgement must be guided as many as possible by reason and the morally right thing to do is always the thing
best supported by argument and not by mere feelings. Therefore, the sounder way of assessing my judgement
on a particular situation is reason and impartiality.

ASSIGNMENT: Provide at least 2 situations in which you can prove the necessary roles of the following:

a. Emotions/ Feelings
1. There’s this one time when I feel down, it really affects my performance because I can’t seem to finish one
task that leads me to have a small grade.
2. One time, I felt really excited and happy when I discovered that the National Book Store in SM Cebu was
offering a 50% sale to all their books. Due to this, I spent large amount of money including my allowance for
the whole week
b. Reason and Impartiality
1. When I was in JHS, I was a student manager. In making judgement, I always consult not only the officers of
the organization I am in but also the members to make our upcoming organization project to be a successful
one. Indeed, it was successful.
2. We are having a group project during Christmas break and all of the members went home to their respective
towns. As the leader, I asked my groupmates to when and where are we going to make our project that is fair
and convenient to everyone. When the class started, we we’re able to show our project successfully and we even
shared beautiful memories on the day we made our project.
SELF- ASSESSMENT: What are the underlying reasons why emotions or feelings are not considered as
the minimum criterion for morality? Justify your views.

Making moral decisions is very crucial in our life as real human beings. It is a process that we, humans, often go
through; we make moral decisions every single day of our lives. In assessing judgement, open- mindedness is
an important attitude that an individual must possess. Such attitude requires a person to be reflective and active
listeners. This is the reason why reason and impartiality become the minimum criterion of morality and not
feelings nor emotions.
Reason and Impartiality become the primary precondition for morality as one is expected to be able to carry out
comprehensible, incisive, rightful, and pertinent judgement made out of logic and understanding in an unbiased
and unprejudiced manner while considering the general welfare to accurately concoct moral decisions.
Emotions or feelings, on the other hand, are not considered as the minimum criterion for morality for the reason
because, as what I’ve written in the previous activity in this specific lesson, our feelings or emotions might be
irrational and a fruit of prejudice, egocentric or cultural conditioning. Emotions or feelings tend to hinder us
from having a clear- minded decision and need to be re-examined thoroughly. We cannot depend on our
feelings most especially in assessing things no matter how encouraging and powerful they might be.

Therefore, we must be humble enough to listen and reflect on the messages or information that our environment
provide us not only to ourselves; not only to our feelings. We must not rely only to our emotions and feelings
because what we are feeling right not are temporary and won’t last long this is why if we make decisions out
from our emotions or feelings we end up regretting. Even if we believe that what we are feeling right now is
true that doesn’t mean it really is because there are factors that are needed to be considered to come up with a
moral judgement and to come up with genuine truth.
QUIZ
Examine the given case properly and justify your answer.

Alice, a 6th grader, was punished by her teacher adviser through letting her not to take the 20- item quiz. She is
punished because she punched the mouth of Karl after he bullied her through putting a bubblegum in her seat
and frequent name calling.

If you were Karl’s mother,

a. Evaluate the punishment of the teacher based on the situation, how would you be (given how you feel about
your son and given the situation)
b. What acceptable measures you think are applicable in the situation?

This kind of scenario reminds me of my childhood. Back then, I punched someone because he put a bubblegum
on my hair and my teacher gave me a punishment afterwards but not the same punishment given by the teacher
to Alice. If I were Karl’s mother, what happened to my son will really anger me but I won’t bring that to Alice,
who is just a kid. What the teacher gave to Alice as a punishment, for me, is a sign of immaturity. Yes, what
Alice did was wrong but excluding her in a 20- item quiz is not also right because what happened is not
academic- related therefore, the punishment must not, also, academic- related such as assign her to be the
classroom for the whole week. Besides, my son also has fault because he bullied Alice in the first so the teacher
must not only put all the blame to Alice. Punching my son is wrong so as bullying. No mother wants to see his
child get hurt that’s why, as a mother of Karl, I want Alice to be punished but as a mother also I don’t want my
child to grow up as a bully and I won’t tolerate such attitude so I want my son to be punished also. Before
making an action, I must calm myself and shove away my anger first because this might worsen the situation.
Attacking Alice for she has done to my son won’t solve anything and it’s very childish of me because I’m
attacking a kid. I’m going to decide on my action wisely because this might cause a trauma to the kids.
In this kind of situation will give rise to rage. I can’t blame the teacher for giving that punishment because the
teacher, perhaps, come up with a decision when she was still angry or in rage which should not happen. If I
were Karl’s mother, if I won’t calm myself down I will end up fighting Alice and may be punished her myself.
In this kind of situation, we must not act when we are still in the verge of anger and our emotions are unstable.
As a mother of Karl, I want to settle things in a peaceful way. I want to call first the parents of Alice and,
together with the teacher and the two kids, we will talk about what really happened and what’s the reason
behind all of it. I must know the point of views of the two kids before concluding and making decision. I also
want to talk with them about the possible punishment that would will bring lessons to the kids and at the same
time won’t harm them most especially mentally; I don’t want to traumatize the kids. My opinions and
suggestions must willingly accepted by the parents of Alice because they know Alice better than the teacher and
myself. In this kind of situation, everything must go smoothly because the mental health of the kids are at stake
knowing that they are still in sixth grade who are prone to depression and mental trauma. We must not let our
feelings, anger, consume us. As an adult, we must think logically on how to solve this problem.

ASSIGNMENT: Provide at least 2 situations in which you can prove the necessary roles of the following:

Investigating a crime
a. Feelings or Emotions
- NBI agents will keep on seeking for evidences as many as they could because their feelings will tell them that
what they have collected is not enough. They will seek until they will feel satisfied of what they gathered and
find out.
b. Reason and Impartiality
- NBI agents will go to the crime scene to gather evidences. They will interview those who have witnessed and
who are close to the victim to come up with an ideal conclusion on who is the suspect because they can’t just
pin point a person to be the suspect without gathering facts and proofs.
Breaking up with boyfriend
a. Feelings or Emotions
- A girl will certainly end up a relationship when they feel that there’s something wrong already since they’ve
been together for months or years ,and when she talked about it with the boy, she can feel that the boy is lying
or not.
b. Reason and Impartiality
- A girl, before ending a relationship, will talk about this matter with her partner and ask for confirmation if the
boy is still into her or he’s still with her in their relationship. The girl must be fair to the boy by listening to his
point of view because they’re both in that relationship.
Go for a shopping
a. Feelings or Emotions
- When we go for a shopping, we will buy the items that we feel worthy to purchase. When people, especially
girls, buy things when they feel that it’s fit and right for them. This is why they took hours before they can
choose what to buy. Shopping is a very tiring activity but the happiness that people feel when they go for a
shopping makes the day memorable and perfect.
b. Reason and Impartiality
- One factor on where and what to buy are the products that are on sale. However, we must take note on our
priorities and our needs because, sometimes, if we saw something that’s on sale we will immediately purchase
that item even if we don’t needed it at all. We must also take a look on the products condition if it’s in perfect
condition or not, and if it is safety or not; we must be vigilant in buying products.

Choosing the right place on where to make the group project

a. Feelings or Emotions
- In having a meeting on where to make the group project, every group member will suggest where to make the
project. If one will suggest a place, you can feel if what your group member suggested is safe or not. As a
leader, you will have a sense of responsibility towards your group member.
b. Reason and Impartiality
- The group is conducting a meeting so that everyone can suggest a place. By means of this, the group must
come up with one place wherein it is convenient and safe to all. The final decision must be mutual among all
members.

LESSON 9
FORUM
Everyday we make decisions. Everyday is an opportunity to make ourselves better. Recall a situation in your
life when you made a good decision and you realized that you made a better choice.
Enumerate what steps you made to achieve that good decision.

It is already part of our everyday living to make decisions. We make decisions when we’re in the middle of a
crossroad wherein we need to choose which path to take. Our decisions in life decide our fate and not the other
way around. Life is all about choices that we make. Thus, we always have a choice to make it either good or the
bad one. As for me, the decision that I considered as a good one was when I decided to change myself; I
decided to be serious with my life. As years passed by, I saw the happiness in my father’s eyes during my
graduation day, and, at that very moment, I realized that I made a better choice.

In making that decision, I came up several steps or ways in order, for me, to come up with my final decision.

First, I figured out what the real situation is. I looked for facts that could help me to choose.

Second, I imagined the possibilities wherein I was able to consider the consequences, creative approaches and
options.

Third, changing one’s self was not easy so I seek insights beyond my own such as asking for help from my
family, wise people and moral principles

Fourth, I examined my own feelings if I’m ready or not, insights from my past experiences that can tell me if
do I really have to change, and motives why I needed to change myself.

Fifth, pray. I will expect God’s help all throughout my journey.

Sixth, this was the time that I will name my decision, my choice.

QUIZ
You are about to post your political view on your Facebook; however, you feel reluctant in doing so. Make a
step-by-step evaluation using the 7 step moral reasoning model of your decision to post. Complete the 7 steps

STOP AND THINK

 - One of the oldest advice before making a decision is to think about the situation multiple times. To do
so, I need to stop for the momentum of events long enough to allow calm analysis of the situation I am
in. I’m going to ask myself questions such as “Should I post this on my Facebook wall or not?” and “Is
this legal or ethical?” Thus, I will be able to prevent rash decisions.
CLARIFY GOALS
- Goal, just like a compass, gives me direction on what to do. Nonetheless, it is crucial to clarify my goals
so that I can focus on my expected and desired outcome. My goal in posting my political view on my
Facebook wall is that I want everyone to know and be reminded that our government system is not
perfect. As a citizen of this country, I want to share my thoughts about politics hoping that I can help
those who are being blinded and afraid to voice out their views.
DETERMINE FACTS
- I created a content to post about my political views because I was able get some information. However,
it is important that I need to make certain that I have an adequate information. Furthermore, I need to
consider the sources of my information. “Is the person who provided this information to me reliable
and credible?” “Is there any bias in the facts or assumptions that may not be correct?”
DEVELOP OPTIONS
- Now that I have clarified my goals and have made my best verdict regarding relevant facts, I’m going to
make a list of options which is a brainstormed list with all possible solutions that I can take to fulfil my
goals. Part of my list of options is to talk to someone whom I can trust and much older than I am such as
my parents, older siblings and teachers who are close to me. Another option is that I’m going to conduct
a survey or a poll with my group of friends if I’m going to post my political views or not.
CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES
- Every single actions that we, humans, make in our life has a reaction or consequence. In this juncture,
I’m going to look for possible consequences of my actions both positive and negative in regards with
posting my political views on Facebook. I will identify whom my decision will help and hurt, and I will,
also, identify who and what will be affected by my choice.

CHOOSE
- In the previous steps, I was able to clarify my goals, determine facts, list down options as well as the
possible consequences. Now, I’m going to name my decision. Making choices or decision is hard but I
made certain that my decision are filtered through trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness,
caring and citizenship. Therefore, my decision is that I’m going to post my political views on my
Facebook wall.
MONITOR AND MODIFY
- The moment I posted my political views on Facebook, it doesn’t mean that it ends there because I still
need to monitor it everytime if it achieved my goals or not. Since I posted it on Facebook it is expected
that there will be questions asked by different people so I need to answer those questions. The questions
will somewhat help me identify if I achieved my intended results or goals. If I achieved it, then, I’m
considering my decision as the right choice.