Review Study Questions and Answers well explained
Theology 204
Introduction to Christian
Ethics
1) Imagine that you are returning merchandise to a large department store. The value of the merchandise is
$500. As you are returning the goods, you notice that the clerk has made an error. Instead of crediting your
account the proper $500 amount, the clerk credits your account with $1,000.
Identify the five moral operations in this example:
What is it?
Is it so?
What am I going to do?
Is that action the right thing to do?
Are you going to do it?
In evaluating this situation there is a multi-stage scheme in which I (the consumer) have to go through
in determining what I will do. This scheme is the five questions I have to myself when the clerk has
made an error and my inner drive comes knocking. Once the error has been made I ask myself “what is
the error”? The error is that I was given 1000$ back when I should have only got 500$, it could be my
error,
the clerks error or maybe there was a technological mistake, or overall a misunderstanding. Next, I ask
myself “is it so, is this really happening”? Then I think from my side and remember that I calculated
everything properly and that the prices were correct. It was then the clerks’ calculation error. As
Melchin explains it, the two questions I have just asked myself are factual ones in which my aim is to
seek knowledge in what just occurred where my moral responsibility has just been put to the test. After
gaining knowledge of what has just happened and understand that there is an error and understand
what it is as well I ask myself “what am I going to do” or “what course of action will I take, what fits”?
, When asked this question I am now going to respond to this through moral actions and my moral values
will guide me through this. In asking myself I think that I could really use the extra money, or I could buy
myself something nice or I could alert the clerk that an error has been made where I was over-credited.
The right thing to do would be to alert the clerk of the error, because I was given money that was not
mine and since I know of the error technically it is stealing and stealing is wrong. The final stage of the
scheme is the last question which is “am I going to do it”? The answer is no I would not alert the clerk
even though I know the right thing to do is advise the clerk I’ve been over-credited, but my personal
needs and personal benefits from this outweigh the moral action force, because this money can be used
for something I need or an expense I really need to pay such as a credit card or phone bill.
2) Describe the characteristics of drunk driving by answering the following
questions: What are the contexts?
What might be some of the intentions of a drunk driver?
What are the larger social structures that are affected by drunk driving?
Explain the moral characteristics of drunk driving in terms of the three meanings of the term good
(personal desire, social order, and value).
In what way is the prohibition against drunken driving morally objective knowledge?
Theology 204
Introduction to Christian
Ethics
1) Imagine that you are returning merchandise to a large department store. The value of the merchandise is
$500. As you are returning the goods, you notice that the clerk has made an error. Instead of crediting your
account the proper $500 amount, the clerk credits your account with $1,000.
Identify the five moral operations in this example:
What is it?
Is it so?
What am I going to do?
Is that action the right thing to do?
Are you going to do it?
In evaluating this situation there is a multi-stage scheme in which I (the consumer) have to go through
in determining what I will do. This scheme is the five questions I have to myself when the clerk has
made an error and my inner drive comes knocking. Once the error has been made I ask myself “what is
the error”? The error is that I was given 1000$ back when I should have only got 500$, it could be my
error,
the clerks error or maybe there was a technological mistake, or overall a misunderstanding. Next, I ask
myself “is it so, is this really happening”? Then I think from my side and remember that I calculated
everything properly and that the prices were correct. It was then the clerks’ calculation error. As
Melchin explains it, the two questions I have just asked myself are factual ones in which my aim is to
seek knowledge in what just occurred where my moral responsibility has just been put to the test. After
gaining knowledge of what has just happened and understand that there is an error and understand
what it is as well I ask myself “what am I going to do” or “what course of action will I take, what fits”?
, When asked this question I am now going to respond to this through moral actions and my moral values
will guide me through this. In asking myself I think that I could really use the extra money, or I could buy
myself something nice or I could alert the clerk that an error has been made where I was over-credited.
The right thing to do would be to alert the clerk of the error, because I was given money that was not
mine and since I know of the error technically it is stealing and stealing is wrong. The final stage of the
scheme is the last question which is “am I going to do it”? The answer is no I would not alert the clerk
even though I know the right thing to do is advise the clerk I’ve been over-credited, but my personal
needs and personal benefits from this outweigh the moral action force, because this money can be used
for something I need or an expense I really need to pay such as a credit card or phone bill.
2) Describe the characteristics of drunk driving by answering the following
questions: What are the contexts?
What might be some of the intentions of a drunk driver?
What are the larger social structures that are affected by drunk driving?
Explain the moral characteristics of drunk driving in terms of the three meanings of the term good
(personal desire, social order, and value).
In what way is the prohibition against drunken driving morally objective knowledge?
