Moral Dilemmas

Presented by: Group 4

 Moral dilemmas

A situation in which, whatever choice is made,

the agent commits a moral wrong
 Moral Dilemmas
 Example from Book I of Plato's Republic
Cephalus defines ‘justice’ as speaking the truth
and paying one's debts.
Socrates quickly refutes this account by
suggesting that it would be wrong to repay
certain debts (weapon)
 Moral dilemmas

Socrates' point is not that repaying debts is

without moral import; rather, he wants to show
that it is not always right to repay one's
debts….
 Moral Dilemmas
There is a conflict between two moral norms:
repaying one's debts and protecting others
from harm.
 Moral Dilemmas

The agent regards herself as having moral

reasons to do each of two actions, but doing
both is not possible
 Moral Dilemmas
When one of the conflicting requirements
overrides the other, we do not have a genuine
moral dilemma.
 Moral Dilemmas

1. Something morally Bad outcome

right

2. Something morally Good or better

wrong outcome
 Moral Dilemma
A woman was near death from a unique kind of
cancer. There is a drug that might save her. The drug
costs $4,000 per dosage. The sick woman's husband,
Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the
money and tried every legal means, but he could only
get together about $2,000. He asked the doctor
scientist who discovered the drug for a discount or
that he let him pay later. But the doctor scientist
refused.
 Moral Dilemma

Should Heinz break into the laboratory to steal

the drug for his wife?

(Why or why not?)

 Moral Stages
 Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-87)
 Kohlberg

Kohlberg proposed that moral reasoning,

which he thought to be the basis for ethical
behavior, develops through stages.
 Moral Stages

Level 1: PRE-CONVENTIONAL

Level 2: CONVENTIONAL

Level 3: POST-CONVENTIONAL
 Kohlberg’s Stages
Level 1 (Pre-conventional)
Reasoners judge the morality of an action by its
direct consequences

Stage One: Obedience and Punishment

Stage Two: Individualism, Instrumentalism, and

Exchange
 Heinz Dilemma

Stage One (obedience): Heinz should not steal

the medicine, because otherwise he will be put
in prison.
 Pre-conventional level

Stage One (obedience orientation)

Individuals focus on the direct consequences

that their actions will have for themselves.
 Heinz Moral Dilemma
 Pre-conventional Level

Stage Two (self-interest): Heinz should steal

the medicine, because he will be much happier
if he saves his wife, even if he will have to
serve a prison sentence.
 Kohlberg’s Stages

Stage Two (self-interest orientation):

what's in it for me position. Right behavior is

defined by what is in one's own best interest.
 Kohlberg’s Stages
Level 2 (Conventional)
People who reason in a conventional way judge the
morality of actions by comparing these actions to
social rules and expectations.

Stage Three: Interpersonal Concordance ("Good

boy/girl")

Stage Four: Law and Order

 Heinz Moral Dilemma

CONVENTIONAL LEVEL

 Stage Three (conformity): Heinz should steal

the medicine, because his wife expects it.
 Conventional level
Stage Three (conformity orientation)

Individuals seek approval from other people.

They judge the morality of actions by
evaluating the consequences of these actions
for a person's relationships.
 Heinz Dilemma

Stage Four (law-and-order): Heinz should not

steal the medicine, because the law prohibits
stealing.
 Conventional level

Stage Four (law-and-order mentality).

In stage four, individuals think it is important
to obey the law and conventions of society.
 Kohlberg’s Stages
Level 3 (Post-conventional)
(Most people do not reach this level of moral
reasoning)

 Stage Five: Human Rights

 Stage Six: Universal Ethical Principles

(Principled Conscience)
 Heinz moral dilemma
Stage five (human rights):

Heinz should steal the medicine because

saving his wife is more important than obeying
the law.
 Post-conventional level
Stage Five (human rights orientation)
 People have certain principles to which they

attach more value than laws, such as human

rights.
 An action is wrong if it violates certain ethical

principles.
 Laws that do not promote general social

welfare should be changed

 Post-conventional level
 Stage six (universal human ethics):

Heinz should steal the medicine, because

saving a human life is a more fundamental
value than respecting the property of another
person.
 Post-conventional level

Stage Six (ethical principle orientation).

Moral reasoning is based on the use of abstract
reasoning using universal principles.

(People rarely, if ever, reach stage 6 of

Kohlberg's model)
THANK YOU!