Question

Identify two scenarios from your life – one in which you broke a promise and one in which you told a lie. Apply each moral theory to your two examples to explain how each theory would justify the action (of breaking a promise and telling a lie).

Answer 1

Answer:

1. I broke my promise of buying my younger one an Ice-cream when she recovered from her illness. I rather bought her a toy.

2. I lied about not knowing the whereabouts of a man who was to be punished for belonging to a particular religion.

Explanation:

1. The moral theory of utilitarianism will justify the first scenario. This theory states that an action or policy is right if it maximizes happiness or results in the greater good of society. The action I took in the first case resulted in the greater good of my sister because a cup of ice cream would not be healthy for her who was just recovering from an illness. Therefore, that decision was for her greater good.

2. The Deontology theory that states that having a morally justifiable intent is better than obtaining the right results will justify my action. For me, it was not morally right that a man should be punished for his religion and that superseded telling the truth about the man's whereabouts.