Week Two case study

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University Of Arizona *

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Philosophy

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Jan 9, 2024

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Week Two case study. Stealing to feed someone’s family. Jonathan O. Wright. University of Arizona Global Campus. Ethics and Moral Reasoning. Professor: Paul Boaheng. September 12, 2023.

Part 1: Introduction I chose case study #4 for this assignment: "Stealing to Feed One's Family." This topic comes from the book Les Misérables by author Victor Hugo, which tells a story about a poor man, Jean Valjean, imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family. This example of stealing bread is an example of doing what is necessary to provide for one's everyday sustainment. This example demonstrates how moral theories differ from conclusions about what is right to do, why, and why not. I will proceed in this assignment by discussing the central moral controversy of an ethical question. Part 2: Ethical Question The ethical question I want to discuss is, “Is it moral to steal to feed one’s family?” The central moral controversy to this question is that stealing is wrong and is against the law. Theft is taking something that does not belong to you without the owner's consent or permission. However, when it comes to health risks and saving a loved one’s life, stealing would be morally right. This issue or moral controversy would impact the merchant who sells the food and the individuals who will be eating the food. It will negatively affect the merchant, leading to a loss in their inventory and profit. However, this also affects the family who is eating positively, as it helps cure their hunger and benefits their health. As individuals and a society, this answer would be plausible as it relates to the utilitarian way of promoting the most overall happiness. That one merchant may be upset from the loss of food, but the low-income family who was just fed must feel grateful and happy to have finally had a meal.

Part 3: Position Statement A position statement that answers the ethical question of “Is it moral to steal to feed one’s family?” would be “It is not moral to steal to feed one’s family.” I suggested this statement because, ethically and morally, stealing is wrong. Yes, we may sympathize with the individual stealing to provide for their family. Still, it is against the law and disrespectful to the owner, their business, and the community. Stealing to feed oneself and family cannot be justified and is unethical. Part 4: Opposition Statement A statement that opposes my position statement is, "It is moral to steal to feed one's family." A reason to support this statement is that stealing food would be for the more significant cause of providing and protecting one's family. It takes great courage and risk for an individual to steal to save their loved ones from starving or even dying. It also shows that this person will do whatever it takes to provide for the ones they love. Morally, it is right to do whatever is necessary to save and protect your loved ones. Part 5: Application of Utilitarianism The principle of “the greatest good for the greatest number” comes from a view of value called utilitarianism, which British philosopher Jeremy Bentham founded. Adding all the pleasure produced by action and subtracting the pain will result from the available activities or choices (Thames, B. 2018). This principle would support the opposing position as the person’s decision to steal food for their starving family will result in overall happiness for the family and pain for one merchant who was robbed.

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References: How Should One Live? An Introduction to Ethics and Moral Reasoning. Thames, B. (2018). Available at: ( https://content.uagc.edu/books/Thames.5057.18.2/sections/ch03sec3.1 ) Let Them Eat Bread: The Theft That Helped Inspire 'Les Miserables.'Martyris, N. (2017) NPR. Available at ( https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/20/520459332/let-them-eat-bread- the-theft-that-helped-inspire-les-miserables )

Week Two case study

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