You may not be aware of every single one but, on a daily basis, you make decisio

You may not be aware of every single one but, on a daily basis, you make decisions based on your own moral compass. Not everyone views right and wrong the same way but, rather, we decide internally what we feel is appropriate.
Pretend you found a dirt-covered wallet at a nearby park that contained $100. The driver’s license is local but it expired over 5 years ago. Obviously, this wallet has been missing for a long time. Do you return the wallet because it is the “right” thing to do, or do you keep the money because the person has probably forgotten all about this wallet? I think many of us would agree returning the wallet is the right thing to do, however not everyone would make this choice. What if you went to return the wallet and found that the owner is now deceased? Do you leave the money with a family member, or do you feel it would be appropriate to keep the money since the owner is no longer alive? If there had been $1,000 in the wallet, would this change your decision?
In this Discussion, you consider a moral dilemma more serious than just an old wallet. One would hope the majority of the population would try to do the right thing, but our decisions become clouded when the stakes are high.
To Prepare:
Review the stages of Kohlberg’s developmental theory in the McLeod article on Kohlberg.
Review the Kohlberg video.
Consider the prompt below and the questions. Share the scenario with someone and ask them the questions. Reflect on their response and the discussion that may have come after the initial response.
Heinz’s wife is dying from a particular type of cancer. Doctors say a new drug might save her. The drug was discovered by a local chemist. Heinz and his wife try desperately to buy some but the chemist is charging 10 times the money it costs to make the drug, and this is much more than Heinz and his wife can afford.
Heinz only raises half the money, even after help from family and friends. He explains to the chemist that his wife is dying and asks if he can have the drug cheaper or pay the rest of the money later.
The chemist refuses, saying that he discovered the drug and is going to make money from it. The husband is desperate to save his wife, so later that night he breaks into the chemist’s laboratory and steals the drug.
Should Heinz have stolen the drug?
Would it change anything if Heinz did not love his wife?
What if the person dying was a stranger, would it make any difference?
Should the police arrest the chemist for murder if the woman dies?
Read the limitations of the study in the Kohlberg article to help us understand learning and teaching by allowing us to explain and predict our students’ behavior and how our actions will influence learning. How can Kohlberg’s theory help you predict behavior and actions?
Mcleod Article & Video

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development