RDG: Ethics

Kannetria McBride

Rdg 101.

02/11/2018

                        In class a few weeks ago our teacher gave us two different dilemmas, and the one I chose to write about is about a lady who has just lost her job, and has a sickly child, no money, and no help from family, so she has to make a decision whether to steal medicine for her child or do with out. If i were the lady I would abide by the law because she could make her situation worse than it is, by getting caught she can get locked up and go to jail, and if she cant go to family for help then she know she will be left in jail and her child would get taken from her.Also there are ways she could get help such as asking neighbors, friends or doing fundraisers. On page (277) in our reading book the approach/source I would use, would be the "The Common Good Approach", which the Greek philosophers contributed the notion that life in community is a good in itself and our actions should contribute to that life. This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others especially the vulnerable are requirements of such reasoning. This approach also calls attention to the common conditions that are important to the welfare of everyone, this may be a system of laws, effective police, and fire departments, health care, a public educational system, or even public recreational areas. There were several steps of the ethical decision making process I would use such as "Recognize an Ethical Issue" (page 278), "Evaluate Alternative Action" (page 278), and "Make a Decision and Test It" (page 278).  I would use "Stage 1. Obedience and Punishment Orientation" (Page 284) because its similar to Piaget's first stage of moral thought. The child/individual assumes that powerful authorities hand down a fixed set of rules which he or she must unquestioningly obey. To the Heinz dilemma, the child typically says that Heinz was wrong to steal the drug because "its against the law" or "its bad to steal", as if this were all there  were to it. When asked to elaborate, the child usually responds in terms of all consequences  involved, explaining that stealing is bad, "because you'll get punished" (Kohlberg, 1958b).