Situation K - Kohlberg Stage

Situation K

Kohlberg Stage:

Cal has made his decision to not vandalize the chemical company's equipment based on his conviction to not break laws. Cal is functioning at Kohlberg's conventional level, and is in Stage 4. Stage 4 is "Society Maintaining Orientation" which basically states that one should respect and obey the order that one is surrounded by. One has a duty to maintain law and order. Kohlberg also uses the word "conformist" in the conventional level.

Cal believes so strongly in the rules and laws that are set up by his society, that he has justified the position of the chemical company. If the chemical company was so bad, then certainly it would have been shut down by the government. He refuses to break the law in trespassing and vandalizing.

Cal should definitely quit his job at Greenpeace, because he will probably be faced with many more moral dilemmas like this one in his future, if he continues this job.

Kant's Categorical Imperative:

Kant's categorical imperative can be summed up with the following statement: "the end does not justify the means". The actions of Greenpeace are largely based on the utilitarian principle that the end does justify the means.

Cal struggled initially with his feelings that maybe Greenpeace was right in the actions they were taking to halt the wrongdoing of the chemical company and to alert the public at the same time. After thinking about it, Cal couldn't fight his deep feelings of duty and respect for the law. He refused to become a vandal. He could apply a categorical imperative of his own and state that it is never right to break the law. This law could be applied universally to every person. He could have thought more specifically that it is never right to trespass and it is never right to vandalize. These are both categorical imperatives. His actions were consistent in treating humanity as both an end and a means.

Plato's Crito:

Cal has clearly acknowledged that the chemical company is doing wrong and profits are their primary motivation. He has also recognized that people have been getting sick and the chemical company needs to be stopped, they are doing bad things.

This part of the summary could be compared to Crito pleading with Socrates that he should save his own life and many people would benefit from the act of his saving himself, not the least of which would be his own children. He also declared that he himself (Crito) would look bad if he did not pull strings to save Socrates and then Socrates would die. He pointed out to Socrates that the law was wrong in imprisoning him.

Socrates pointed out to Crito that "injustice is always an evil and dishonor to him who acts unjustly". Cal would be doing an injustice which would then be considered evil and dishonorable to himself.

Socrates