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Moral Reasoning And Kohlbergs Moral Stages Essay

Kohlberg's Moral Stages What would you do if confronted with this same dilemma?

If I was confronted with this dilemma, I would tell the truth about my son and not let my wife take the blame. However, I would not do so out of higher moral principles but because I would tend to assume that law enforcement would likely figure out eventually what was the truth and then both my son and my wife might suffer severe consequences, instead of only my son, once the authorities were involved. It is also worthy of note that the son might not be willing to allow his mother to take the blame, further complicating the issue when arguing with authorities.

Although it may be difficult to gain legal assistance, the best that can be done is admit to nothing and to request legal aid from the U.S. embassy, although there may be some reluctance to help the son given that this is technically a drug crime. Hopefully, the minimal nature of the offense will garner some sympathy from the U.S. government although it is unlikely to do so from the foreign authorities. Regardless, my ethical focus would be on protecting my son but doing so in a way that was effective and did not result in harm occurring to my innocent wife as well.

Q2. At what level and which stage/s of Kohlberg's Moral Development would this dilemma go into?

This scenario entertains...

On a very basic, first level, it could be argued that the son should have to suffer the consequences of his actions and be punished. On a secondary level, it could be argued that the son transgressed his duty to keep the needs of others in mind, namely his parents. But on the third level of pleasing others -- although the mother may want to please her son, come forward, and take responsibility for the crime instead, the son clearly acted without thought of how his parents might react to his crime as well as the foreign country's officials. The fourth level of moral understanding of law and order might suggest that given the severity of the drug problem, a nation has the right to take a strong stance in opposition.
The fifth level argues for a more nuanced understanding of what constitutes the law. Simply because something is illegal does not mean that an extremely…

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It should not be, although it is true that quite frequently socioeconomic status does affect drug case trial decisions in the United States. Someone who is poor is often viewed as committing a crime, even for simple possession, while someone who is wealthy is viewed as having an illness. In this instance, however, this law, however barbaric it might seem, seems to be uniformly applied against all persons, regardless of socioeconomic status. In general, I believe that the socioeconomic status of an individual should have no impact on the judgement of whether a particular action is moral or immoral. Justice should be compassionate regardless of whether the person is rich or poor and people must be self-conscious of the fact that the different socioeconomic status of a defendant may bias them against him or her.

Q5. Carol Gilligan (1982) disagreed with Kohlberg's on justice and fairness and would have looked at this dilemma differently. Is there truly a difference in her thinking about this dilemma than that of Kohlberg's? (Text page 313-314)

Gilligan would likely be more understanding of the mother's desire to assume blame for her son, given her focus on relationality in women's moral reasoning. For Gilligan, moral reasoning is something which is often viewed only in male, versus female terms and the highest level of Kohlberg's hierarchy -- abstraction -- reflects a male-dominated view of the world. While a man might state that viewing the son's crime in an objective fashion, as if he was not the man's son but merely an impartial citizen, is the highest level of moral truth, Gilligan would suggest that this is not necessary optimal and reflects a relativist bias in favor of objective, male-dominated, ethical constructs.
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