PHL Discussion 4

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Houston Community College *

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2205

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Philosophy

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Feb 20, 2024

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Uploaded by EarlEmu3362

Scenario: You were arrested and charged with a serious crime that you did not commit. The fact is that you did NOT commit this crime; however, after standing trial, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Let’s assume the following are true:  Your trial was fair since an attorney represented you, and the jury was not coerced in their decision.  The jury’s guilty verdict was unanimous.  Your representation was fair since you were represented by a competent attorney who had adequate time and resources to develop your case.  You believe that your attorney truly had your best interest in mind.  You do not need to be concerned that you may appear guilty if you flee since that is a psychological concern and not a moral consideration.  The prison you will be incarcerated in is a federal penitentiary and not a federal prison with “white-collar criminals.” If you had a chance to escape and flee to another country, would you be morally justified in doing so ? Which ethical theory will you be appealing to justify your answer? Explain how that theory justifies your answer? According to deontological ethics, the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the consequences of the action. In this case, escaping from prison would be considered wrong, as it breaks the law, regardless of the fact that you were wrongly convicted. Under this theory, you would not be morally justified in escaping, as you would be breaking the law. The fact that you were wrongly convicted does not change the moral obligation to abide by the laws. If I did not commit the crime, I would do whatever I could to prove my innocence no matter what. whether that meant getting a new lawyer, finding witnesses that could be an alibi to myself and help my case. On the other hand, utilitarianism argues that the best action is the one that maximizes overall "happiness". If we consider your personal happiness and freedom, and the fact that you were wrongly convicted, escaping could be seen as the action that maximizes "happiness".

Under this theory, you could argue that you would be morally justified in escaping, as it would increase your happiness without causing harm to others, assuming you live a law-abiding life after the fact. I believe there truly is no right or wrong answer to these questions as it ones personal choice and how they view the situation. Reference: Dimmock, M., & Fischer, A. (2017). Ethics for A-level. Retrieved from https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/ethics-for-a-level ISBN- 13:9781783743902

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PHL Discussion 4

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