Im sure many of you are familiar with Lawrence Kohlberg. For those of you who arent, Lawrence Kohlberg was a psychologist whos research and theories were based around moral development.
For a start, I've picked one out of the few dilemmas. After we discus this one, I will post some more.
Discuss this in the matter of answering the questions set by Kohlberg at the end of each the dilemma.
Dilemma III
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. the drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug. 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, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from if." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.
1. Should Heinz steal the drug?
1a. Why or why not?
2. Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal the drug?
2a. Why is it right or wrong?
3. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to steal the drug?
3a. Why or why not?
4. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Does it make a difference in what Heinz should do whether or not he loves his wife?
4a. Why or why not?
5. Suppose the person dying is not his wife but a stranger. Should Heinz steal the drug for the stranger?
5a. Why or why not?
6. Suppose it's a pet animal he loves. should Heinz steal to save the pet animal?
6a. Why or why not?
7. Is it important for people to do everything they can to save another's life?
7a. Why or why not?
8. It is against the law for Heinz to steal. Does that make it morally wrong?
8a. Why or why not?
9. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the law?
9a. Why or why not?
9b. How does this apply to what Heinz should do?
10. In thinking back over the dilemma, what would you say is the most responsible thing for Heinz to do?
10a. Why?
Discuss.
__________________
في هذا العالم ثلاثة أشخاص أفسدوا البشرية : راعي غنم , طبيب و راكب الجمال , و راكب الجمال هو أسوأ نشال و أسوأ مشعوذ بين الثلاثة
Last edited by lil bitchiness on Jun 8th, 2004 at 11:23 AM
1. Should Heinz steal the drug?
Yes. 1a. Why or why not?
The druggist is practically asking to get robbed by charging that much money, and thinking people are actually going to pay it. Not that that alone makes it right--I think that Heinz has a bigger "duty" to his wife than to a man he hardly knows. Also, we're assuming the druggist won't starve to death without a few thousand extra dollars. 2. Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal the drug?
Right. 2a. Why is it right or wrong?
Because he is doing it to save somebody's life, who also happens to be his wife. Now, if it were for some other reason--say, if he just thought the druggist's price was unfair and wanted to sell some himself--it wouldn't be right. But in this context, yes, it is the right thing to do. 3. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to steal the drug?
Yes. 3a. Why or why not?
Because his wife will die if he doesn't. It is his moral obligation to save her life if he can. 4. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Does it make a difference in what Heinz should do whether or not he loves his wife?
Yes, he should even if he doesn't love her. It makes no difference. 4a. Why or why not?
If he really hated her, if might be different. But I assume "doesn't love her" simply means that he doesn't love her--not that he really hates her. I don't "love" my friends, per se, but I would still do it for them. 5. Suppose the person dying is not his wife but a stranger. Should Heinz steal the drug for the stranger?
Depends. 5a. Why or why not?
If the stranger is not capable of paying for it himself, yes, he should steal it for him. He has a chance to save somebody's life, and is obligated to take it. 6. Suppose it's a pet animal he loves. should Heinz steal to save the pet animal?
Absolutely. 6a. Why or why not?
If he really loves the animal, and he would steal it for his wife, who he doesn't love.... It just seems obvious to me. 7. Is it important for people to do everything they can to save another's life?
Depends. 7a. Why or why not?
I believe that a person has a greater moral obligation if a) the person is related or a loved one, or b) the chance to save this person's life is right in front of them. If they had to fly halfway around the world to collect ingredients for a magical potion, then fly down to Australia where the person was... Then no. 8. It is against the law for Heinz to steal. Does that make it morally wrong?
No. 8a. Why or why not?
The law that says stealing is illegal is, in general, there to protect business. A person's life is more important than a person's business. 9. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the law?
No. 9a. Why or why not?
Don't get me wrong. I don't think people should go walking down the street with a tommy gun, rattling shots at everybody. But on the other hand, if there's a law that, for example, says people can't listen to a certain type of music any more, they shouldn't try to obey it. In short, the law isn't always right. 9b. How does this apply to what Heinz should do?
Heinz has to choose between either breaking the law to save a person's life, or obeying the law and (I assume from the information given) letting his wife die. He has to choose which is more important--the law or his wife's life. 10. In thinking back over the dilemma, what would you say is the most responsible thing for Heinz to do?
The most responsible thing is to steal the medicine. 10a. Why?
Because of all the reasons I've already given--it is his wife, and we assume that he loves her. Even if he didn't, though, it would be his duty to save her, just as it would be his duty to save a stranger by doing the same thing. Laws are not always right.
1. Should Heinz steal the drug? Yes.
1a. Why or why not? Because saving a womans life outweighs one mans profit.
2. Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal the drug? In the scenario set out it is right.
2a. Why is it right or wrong? Because a human life is more important than money.
3. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to steal the drug? Both.
3a. Why or why not? Because saving a human life is more important than making money.
4. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Does it make a difference in what Heinz should do whether or not he loves his wife? He should steal the drug regardless of whether or not he loves his wife.
4a. Why or why not? Same answer as above.
5. Suppose the person dying is not his wife but a stranger. Should Heinz steal the drug for the stranger? Yes.
5a. Why or why not? Assuming the exact same scenario, but with the wife substituted for an equally mortally ill person, saving a life is still more important than the doctor making money.
6. Suppose it's a pet animal he loves. should Heinz steal to save the pet animal? No.
6a. Why or why not? Because it’s not a human life.
7. Is it important for people to do everything they can to save another's life? No.
7a. Why or why not? Endangering many to save one is not acceptable.
8. It is against the law for Heinz to steal. Does that make it morally wrong? No.
8a. Why or why not? Because certain laws uphold property over human lives. That is wrong.
9. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the law? No.
9a. Why or why not? Same as above.
9b. How does this apply to what Heinz should do? A human life is more important than one man making money. As a law that places more value on money than on a life is wrong, Heinz would not be morally wrong in his quest to save a human life.
10. In thinking back over the dilemma, what would you say is the most responsible thing for Heinz to do? Steal the silly drug to save his wife.
10a. Why? Because saving a human life is more important than one man’s profit.
__________________ "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
-Voltaire
"That includes ruining Halloween because someone swallowed a Bible."
"I just thought you were a guy."
"... Most guys do."
I agree with Omega answers, exception to 6 and 6a, with the a "small" modification to O. explanation in question 10.
Saving life, and not only human life but all lifes that help us to survive, is more important than one man’s profit.
And, I agree totally with Omega answer to 3a but, answering the 3: I say that he has the duty "moral duty", understood as his spontaneous and simple free will. Never some kind of imposed obligation, bcs moral never is imposed even by ourselves.
__________________ Por minha Dama
«...et tu seras pour moi unique au monde, et je serais pour toi unique au monde...»
Ah! And I think DR is right about the place for this thread. Even if we are answering - to late - to Lawrence Kohlber research about moral development, we are not his guinea pigs and, moral have always been one of the master philosophy purposes. But ok it is needless..
__________________ Por minha Dama
«...et tu seras pour moi unique au monde, et je serais pour toi unique au monde...»
Yes, because it is the right thing to do (see bellow)
Assuming he loves his wife, it is right. When you love somebody, you have responsibilities towards them that outweigh your responsibilities towards your country (that is, your duty to obey its laws) or to those people that you do not love (that is, not to cheat the druggist out of his wage), or even to himself (that is, not to put himself into a position where he might be imprisoned for his crime).
Yes. You have an obligation to do the right thing, and the right thing is to steal the drug (see above).
Difficult. If he is obliged to help her, it obviously wouldn't be for the reason I listed above. However, there are other reasons he might be morally obliged to help her. For example, if he is in her debt, he would be required to steal the drug for her to repay it. So I guess it would really depend on the man and the woman and their exact relationship.
No. This might seem harsh, but why should Heinz risk getting arrested to help a stranger? It could completely destroy his life. His life is as important as the stranger's, so he cannot fairly be expected to risk destroying hiw own life for the sake of the stranger's.
Yes. As I've said, you have an obligation to those that you love. Unlike some of the other people here, I don't believe this has anything to do with the value of human life, so the nonhuman nature of the pet isn't relevant.
Not everything, no. I don't believe that you are obligated to take undo risks to save somebody, with some exceptions (ex: friends and loved ones). You should try to save someone's life if you can do it without risk, or with minimal risk.
The day I trust the government to dictate my morallity, Hell freezes over. Being elected to office gives you the right to pass laws; it doesn't make you a god, to dictate morals.
Not necessarily, no. One reason is that the law is not, by definition, just. But I think we agree that forbidding theft is just, so that is not an issue here. What is an issue is that the law is inflexible; it doesn't care whether you're doing something to save you're wife's life or to get rich at other people's expense. Something that does not take the situation into account can never be a reliable measure of morality.
It affirms that he should do what is right regardless of what is legal.
Steal the medicine without getting caught. Since he is--however rightly--taking somebody else's property, it would be idea if he could arrange for the druggist to get the money he managed to gather to pay for the medicine, but only if it could be done without rousing suspicion.
__________________ "Men curse the Communist Party, but eventually it may release them. If hell were endless, then God would be worse than our Secret Police."--Pastor Valentin
KMC Community Forums
Kohlberg Dilemmas
Jun 8th, 2004 11:21 AM
