FINALS Topic 1

CONSCIENCE
HEINZ’S DILEMMA
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer.
There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium
that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered.
The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging the times what the
drug cost him to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small
dose of the drug.
The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money,
but he could only get together about $1,000 which is half of what it cost.
He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him
pay later.
But the druggist said: 'No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it.
So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.
Should the husband have done that?
What would Heinz do?
A. Heinz should not steal the drug

because stealing is wrong.
B. Heinz should not steal the drug, since
he would be breaking the law
C. Heinz should steal the drug and
accept any prison sentence
Stages of Moral Development ( Lawrence Kohlberg)
❖ LEVEL I- Pre conventional Stage- The ethics of ego
centricity.
❖ Stage 1- Punishment /Obedience. The ethics of “ What s
in it for me? I will not steal because if I get caught I will
be punished.
❖ Stage 2- Market exchange- Obeying rules and
exchanging favours are judged in terms of benefit to the
person. “I will steal the drugs for my wife for is she dies
nobody will take care of me anymore.”
LEVEL II
❖ LEVEL II- CONVENTIONAL ETHICS- The ethics of others.
❖ Stage 3- Interpersonal Harmony- Sometimes called “ Nice girl/
Nice Boy” Ethical decisions are based on what pleases, helps or
is approved of others. “I will steal the drug because if my wife
remains untreated and dies , our friends will say I did not take
care of her.
❖ Stage 4- Law and Order- The ethics of order. Right is doing
one’s duty, obeying the law and maintaining an orderly society.
“ I will not teal the drug because stealing his against the law.
LEVEL III
❖ LEVEL 3 - POST CONVENTIONAL ETHICS- Ethics of Principle. Focuses
on the principles underlying the society’s rules.
❖ Stage 5 - Social contract- Rules are based on Principles of justice and com
mon good and are mutually agreed upon by members of the society.
❖ The drug should be made available to anyone who needs it, not possessed
by one person for his own interest.
❖ Stage 6- Universal Principles- Rules encountered in life. Ethics determined
by individuals conscience guided by the abstract principles of justice and
equality.
❖ The Human being is more important than any law or convention. I have to
save her not because she is my wife but because she is a human being who
needs help.
HEINZ’S DILEMMA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czp9S4u26M
Making moral decisions
demands maturity and
responsibility
CONSCIENCE
CON (with) + SCIENTIA
( Knowledge)
Derived from Latin word

“CUM “ meaning TOGETHER
and “SCIENTIA” ( Knowledge )
or “SCIRE” meaning TO KNOW
CONSCIENCE
We describe conscience as Little Voice inside our minds telling us

what to do.Conscience is also the personal self.
It tries to make a sound judgment about our basic moral questions:

What ought I to be?
What ought I to do?
Conscience is the practical judgment of reason upon an individual

act as either good to be performed or as evil and to be avoided.
CONCEPTS OF CONSCIENCE
❖ AUTONOMOUS CONSCIENCE - totally subjective. It

ignores the law and determines by itself what is right
and what it wrong. It looks to the individual self for
morality
❖ HETERONOMOUS CONSCIENCE- is tied to normative
ethics, focusing solely in laws and obligations,
commands and prohibitions.
LEVELS OF CONSCIENCE
❖ ANTECEDENT ACTUAL CONSCIENCE- judgement on
morality of action and obligation to perform or omit is
passed before action is translated to reality.
❖ CONCOMITANT ACTUAL CONSCIENCE- During the
action , refers to one’s actual awareness of being morally
responsible for the goodness and the badness of the
particular act while one is doing it.
❖ CONSEQUENT ACTUAL CONSCIENCE- it evaluates
an act already done or omitted.
Respect patients autonomy or ignore wishes
This case study demonstrates an ethical dilemma faced by
healthcare providers who care for and treat Jehovah's
Witnesses who are placed in a critical situation due to medical
life-threatening situations. A 20-year-old, pregnant, Black
Hispanic female presented to the Emergency Department (ED)
in critical condition following a single-vehicle car accident. She
exhibited signs and symptoms of internal bleeding and was
advised to have a blood transfusion and emergency surgery in
an attempt to save her and the fetus. She refused to accept
blood or blood products and rejected the surgery as well. Her
refusal was based on a fear of blood transfusion due to her
belief in Bible scripture.
The ethical dilemma presented is whether to respect the

patient's autonomy and compromise standards of care or ignore
the patient's wishes in an attempt to save her life. What is your
decision?

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CONSCIENCE

A. Heinz should not steal the drug

Derived from Latin word

We describe conscience as Little Voice inside our minds telling us

It tries to make a sound judgment about our basic moral questions:

Conscience is the practical judgment of reason upon an individual

❖ AUTONOMOUS CONSCIENCE - totally subjective. It

The ethical dilemma presented is whether to respect the

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