Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics - Assignment Example Answers to Questions 1. What would you do if you were the acting CO of the submarine? What level of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning is this decision based on? As indicated in Lesson 8, Kohlberg’s theory â€Å"assumes the primacy of cognition and defines a moral act as one that follows a process of moral reasoning and judgement based of principles† (1). Kohlberg’s six stages are enumerated as: Level 1: Preconventional Morality where Stage 1 is indicated as Obedience and Punishment Orientation, Stage 2 is Individualism and Exchange; Level 2: Conventional Morality made up of Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships and Stage 4: Maintaining the Social Order; finally, Level 3: Postconventional Morality composed of Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights and Stage 6: Universal Principles (Crain). Upon evaluation of each levels and corresponding stages, one can deduce that the decision to close the hatch in this particular scenario falls under Level 3: Postcon ventional Morality where both rules of law are considered and the possibilities of considering the universality of ethical principles. To answer the question, what would you do if you were the acting CO of the submarine?, it is not simply a matter of stating that one would order the hatch to be closed immediately without taking into consideration a number of factors. For one, the only other information noted from the case facts is that there would be three people who would die within a minute of closing the hatch. However, the number of people that would be saved was not indicated. A quick research on the average number of on a submarine revealed that the crew of a Canadian naval ship â€Å"must be not more than 165 personnel† (National Defense and Canadian Forces 16). Assuming that this is the average number of personnel on a navy warship, by closing the hatch, the CO would apparently be saving 162 people. Using Kohlberg’s moral reasoning, under Level 3, a review of t he laws governing naval warfare ships indicate that as part of damage control â€Å"the moral is HOLD WHAT YOU HAVE; DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PREVENT PROGRESSIVE FLOODING AND BURNING† (Sea Cadets. org 14). Further, the mission of the Canadian Maritine Ships (CMS) is â€Å"is to maintain maritime and assigned air forces on each coast able to respond to maritime incidents, contribute to the surveillance of Canadian approaches, and assist in the tracking of ships of interest, such as ships involved in illegal activity or posing a possible threat to national interests or security† (National Defense and Canadian Forces 6). . Therefore, all personnel are aware that there are risks involved in manning naval warships and the priority is always to ensure that the ships is ultimately saved and preserved at the top of the agenda. The CO’s responsibility is abide by the mission that â€Å"Canada’s navy – versatile, multipurpose and combat-capable – di ligently protects our interests by safeguarding our maritime approaches, exercising sovereignty over our waters, protecting our offshore natural resources and contributing to global security† (Canadian Navy par. 1). In this regard, as CO, I will order to close the hatch at the earliest possible time to prevent progressive flooding. Presuming the consequential risks of the three men within the