Ethics and Moral Development Assignment Order Instructions: Please read below for information concerning assignment.
Support responses with examples and use APA formatting in the paper. You may access the school’s website by logging into:
https://mycampus.southuniversity.edu/portal/server.pt
Please note that when you log into the website you must click launch class, and on the next screen click syllabus to view this week’s readings (week 1) and Academic Resources to access the school’s library.
To support work, use the course and text readings and also use outside sources. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Ethics and Moral Development
Reflect upon ethical dilemmas you may have encountered in an organization you are or have been with or that is currently in the news. Also, familiarize yourself with Kohlberg’s stages of moral development.
For your initial post, address the following:
• Describe the ethical dilemma.
• Which of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development is represented in your example? Be sure to justify your reasoning for your choice. Do you think that one of the other theories of moral development better describes your example? Why?
Postulate the (hypothetical or real) best- and worst-case outcomes of this dilemma as you see them.
Ethics and Moral Development Assignment Sample Answer
Ethics and Moral Development
Ethics refers to standards well-grounded on right and wrong. It relates to a set of behavior that humans ought to do regarding rights obligations, fairness and the general benefit to society. Ethical dilemmas refer to situations one is pinned down in making a choice between two options that don’t entirely resolve the situation in an ethical manner.
The best example of a moral dilemma can be clearly explained using El Chapo’s (Joaquin Guzman) story. El Chapo got arrested for violating drug trafficking laws in Mexico and escaping maximum security prisons twice (Killen & Smetana, 2014). Though government officials and the international community want him jailed, folks back at Mexico consider him a hero. He has transformed his community by paving roads, creating job opportunities and maintaining peace. This dilemma poses a serious question on whether to jail him for drug trafficking, or acquit him for his good deeds to the society (Shaw, 2014).
Kohlberg’s stage two; Instrument and relativity can be argued out in the defence of El Chapo to exonerate him. He can manipulate the public to rally support for him for his good deeds. Another stage of Kohlberg’s moral development that can be applied is law and order. El Chapo’s capture is rightful since he broke the law. Social Contract can also be implemented to give the government the power to keep him behind bars since the government is viewed as a legal authority and not a moral one (Killen & Smetana, 2014).
In consideration of the above analysis, the dilemma created can swing both ways depending on who has a more dominant power. Law and order eventually did carry the day since no one is above the law. El Chapo, in the end, got jailed. Solving ethical dilemmas don’t guarantee a winning result for the party involved.
Ethics and Moral Development Assignment References
Killen, M., & Smetana, J. G. (2014). Handbook of moral development. New York: Psychology Press.
Shaw, W. H. (2014). Business ethics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
