Moral Reasoning and Kohlbergs Moral Stages Essay

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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 virtually all of the levels of Kohlberg's Moral Development hierarchy.

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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….....

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