Ethics

1
Dilemma

Module 4 Dilemma and

Culture in Moral Behavior

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Appreciate the importance of dilemma to human reasoning
2. Gauge your own level of thinking
3. Discern one’s level of maturity
4. Analyze the role of culture in human behavior
5. Cite examples of cultural diversity between oriental and occidental
societies

What is dilemma
A social dilemma is an action situation in which an individual must decide on his own even
if it is against the socially-accepted norms. It is the situation that measure one’s maturity. Below is
the scale used by Lawrence Kohlberg in human reasoning.

Lawrence Kohlberg’s sequence of moral reasoning

Situation: You are a loving husband/wife whose spouse was suffering from terminal cancer.
At present, you are unemployed and cannot provide medicine for your suffering partner. One
morning, your beloved was screaming in pain and you are forced to find ways to ease the pain or
better yet eradicate it. You went to a drug store that has just opened, and the guard was out at that
moment and the solitary sales agent was busy preparing herself. The medicine was there but you
are penniless to buy it, that is just within your reach and the chance was ripe to steal it. Will you
take the opportunity for your partner or back track to avoid committing?
Level 1: Pre Conventional Level – The concrete interests of an individual is merely rewards and
punishment. This is a childish mentality that are only encouraged or discouraged based on what
they can get from the situation at hand.
Stage 1: “Obedience and Punishment Orientation”. People stick to the rules to avoid punishment
Favor: If partner dies there will be trouble for you since you are the spouse and must make
a move instead of being idle.
Against: If you steal you might get caught if not your conscience will bother you, this means
that you have to make a move otherwise you will be punished by your conscience by not
doing so.
Stage 2: “Reward Orientation” – Rules are followed only for its benefits. Obedience occurred
because of the rewards. It means that the doer is only after what can he gain from the actions he
perform or did not perform.

Course Module
 Favor: If you steal and got caught just return the just return the drug and forget everything.
Somehow you might end up in jail but the wife is still alive just the same
Against: The sin committed is not that serious so a life term is impossible but it will still be
a lose-lose situation for this will temporarily save her life but may end up dead sooner or
later.
Level 2: Conventional Morality – People approach problems as members of society and would like
to be a role model.
Stage 3: “Good Boy Morality” - Individuals show an interest in maintaining the respect of others
and is doing what is expected of them.
Favor: To be a good father is to do everything for his family that if you do not steal the drug
the people will label you as an “irresponsible father”
Against: If you steal the drug the people will tag you as a “criminal” and will bring dishonor
to your family.
Stage 4: “Authority and Social Order maintaining Morality” – People conform to what is right in a
society.
Favor: If you have a sense of honor, you wouldn’t let your wife die by denying the only
means of saving her life. You will feel guilty and this will haunt you for the rest of your life.
Against: You are aware that stealing is evil but the effect of that shall be more painful once
you are sent to jail. You will feel guilty and will haunt you for the rest of your life. You are
no longer honorable.
Level 3: Post Conventional Morality: People use moral principles which is seen as broader than
any particular society.
Stage 5: “Morality of Rights and Laws” – People do what is right as a sense of obligation to law and
society, however they can be modified.
Favor: If you don’t steal you’ll lose the people’s respect for you avoided the act because of
fear and not reason
Against: If you steal you’ll lose your social standing for violating the law, don’t get carried
away by emotions
Stage 6: “Morality of an Individual Principle and Conscience” – A person follows laws based on
ethical principles. Laws that run counter to principles are violated.
Favor: If you don’t steal and wife dies you won’t be condemned by society for you lived up
to your own expectations but did not live to your own standard of conscience
Against: If you steal the drug you will not be blamed by others but you’ll condemn yourself
for not living within your own conscience and your virtue of honesty.
 Ethics
3
Dilemma

Culture in Moral Behavior Explained

Dr. Emma Butchel in her work, “Challenging the concept of Morality”, explained a
comparison of morality between Chinese and Western cultures. Both cultures have their
respective sense of morality that even conflicts the other. Her study also focused on the moral and
social concepts these two societies abide. One factor that polarized these civilizations is their
behavior that helped mold their people to what they are now, as they say tradition outlasts a
lifetime so they can no longer alter moralities that they are already used to. Both civilizations once
immersed with their own, classify “odd” behavior reprehensible that they branded them as either
major offense, minor offense or at least tolerable however there are behavior that may be
integrated to their civilization. One example was during the time of Maoist China, western culture
was considered a taboo that fashion for them is a non-entity but with the transition of Communist
China to a capitalism – the very reason why the Chinese society adhered to Marxist ideology,
western culture made China into one of the richest country in the world. Cultural bias made
people fail to see the moral principle of their counterpart. Many societies even in the past adhere
to ethnocentrism, an idea that their culture alone is the only thing that matters and at the same
time dismissed others as either “uncouth” or “barbaric”. So why waste time with societies below
their station? In this case, western morality is “blind” to Asian values and as mentioned cultural
bias clouded their judgment that they can’t seem to understand the morality of another person’s
culture that is the foundation of their morality.
The Hindus and some Asian countries used arrange marriages to ensure a good future for
their children that western countries find overlapping with their principles of their freedom of
choice. Another example was raised and it was the educational system that divided the occidental
from the oriental thought. Oriental schools believed in the “infallibility” of teachers that they are
the only source of knowledge and should not be questioned whereas the occidentals rely on the
idea that students have every right to debate with their teachers that even the philosopher
Socrates subscribed to. Flexibility and broadmindedness are the two things that can help bridge
the gap between the two opposing cultures. By opening our minds and removing whatever bias
we habe we can have room to put ourselves in the shoes of others and will help usher global unity.
Man by nature tends to do good so the culture of other people especially those we held with
contempt or mirth also have goodness in them. There is nothing wrong to understand another
person’s morality devoid of cultural bias.

What is Culture?
According to David Brinkenhoff and Lynn White culture is the whole idea that provides a
blueprint for living. It is a powerful force that lived in all peoples that tells us what is right from
wrong. Eating dogs for example is tolerated in the Philippines but is totally banned in the United
States and other Western countries. That is because not everything we do is acceptable to others.
According to Alan Johnson culture is the sum of symbols, ideas, forms, expressions and material
products associated with a social system. Edward Taylor defined culture as the complex whole

Course Module
which includes beliefs, arts, laws, morals, customs and habits acquired by people as members of
society.
Symbols are manifestations of culture and are anything that represents more than itself an
example is a cross that to some it is just an object or figure formed by two short intersecting lines
or pieces but has several meanings. There are four kinds of symbols namely 1) Symbolic
objectives – they may mean a flag to represent a nation a currency to mean a nation’s medium of
exchange. 2) Symbolic characteristics of object – purple for royalty, yellow for cowardice and red
for war. 3) Gestures – actions that can give cultural control. 4) Spoken and written words - the
most important set of symbols in every culture for it is the building block used to construct ideas.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Colendrina-Bucu, Luz et al; Introduction to Psychology; Rex Bookstore; Quezon City
2. Panopio, Isabel et al; Sociology Focus in the Philippines; Ken Inc.; Quezon City