I.

Topic : Moral Dilemma

II. Quotation:
“There is no formula that can resolve a moral dilemma”- Jean Paul Sartre
III. OBJECTIVES
A. Presentation of the concept of moral dilemma
B. To present the effect of moral dilemma the way people behave and make
decision
C. To let students analyze a sample of moral dilemma
IV. Motivational Activity
Pik pak boom
V. SLA: Group activity
Title: What is a "Moral Dilemma"?
In groups of 10, they will be given a moral dilemma. From the movie clip “Dark
Knight”. 10 minutes to make a decision within the group.
They must answer the following question:
1.How long did it take you to decide?
2. What internal moral conflicts did you encounter
3. Which morals of yours made it difficult to complete this task?
VI. Content Discussion
A. Definition of moral dilemma
A moral dilemma may be described as a situation where one seems morally
obliged to do different acts but for some reason or other he cannot do both.
The person’s choice neither of which is acceptable (Dewey,1996).
B. The types of moral dilemmas
b1. Epistemic and ontological dilemmas
b2. Self-imposed and world imposed dilemmas
b3. Obligation dilemmas and prohibition dilemmas
b4. Single agent and multi-person dilemmas
 C. Case discussion based on different scenarios of moral dilemma
c1. Student context
c2. Relationships
c3. Consumerism vs Green Living

D. Three conditions presented in moral dilemmas Allen (2010)

d1. the moral agent must choose the best option and act accordingly.
d2. there must be two or more conflicting options to choose from for moral
dilemmas to occur.
d3. no matter what course of action is taken, some moral principles are
always compromised.
VIII. Critical thinking questions
None
IX. Evaluation ( Objective test )
1. Which one of the statements regarding making choices in moral dilemmas is true?
a. No matter what choice you make, you will be failing to follow your
morals.
b. All of the answers are true
c. There is always an obvious best choice.
d. Moral dilemmas do not require us to make any choices.
Answer: A, according to Allen (2010) no matter what action is taken, some moral
principles are always compromised.

2. A military doctor is attending to the needs of the wounded soldiers in the middle
of the war. Unfortunately, two soldiers urgently need a blood transfusion.
However, only one bag of blood is available at the moment. To whom shall the
doctor administer the blood transfusion? For sure, we could not tell whether
 administering a blood transfusion to Soldier A is more moral than administering a
blood transfusion to Soldier B, and vice versa. What type of moral dilemma is this?
a. Ontological moral dilemma
b. Epistemic moral dilemma
c. Single agent dilemma
d. Obligation moral dilemma
Answer: Ontological moral dilemmas, because it involve situations wherein two or more
moral requirements conflict with each other, yet neither of these conflicting moral
requirements overrides each other. This is not to say that the moral agent does not know
which moral requirement is stronger than the other. The point is that neither of the
moral requirements is stronger than the other; hence, the moral agent can hardly choose
between the conflicting moral requirements
3. During the campaign period, David running for a position promised the
indigenous peoples in his community to protect their virgin forest just to gain
their votes, but at the same time, he seeks financial support from a mining
corporation. Fortunately, David won the elections, yet he is faced with the
dilemma of fulfilling his promised to the indigenous peoples and at the same time
allows the mining corporation to destroy their forest.

Answer: It is a self-imposed moral dilemma because it is caused by the moral

agent’s wrongdoings.
a. Ontological moral dilemma
b. Epistemic moral dilemma
c. World-imposed moral dilemma
d. Self-imposed moral dilemma
4. A medical doctor found out that her patient has HIV. For sure, the medical doctor
may experience tension between the legal requirement to report the case and the
desire to respect confidentiality, although the medical code of ethics acknowledges
our obligation to follow legal requirements and to intervene to protect the
vulnerable. What type of moral dilemma is this?
a. Ontological moral dilemma
b. Epistemic moral dilemma
c. Single agent dilemma
d. Obligation moral dilemma
Answer: single agent dilemma, because the moral agent is compelled to act on two
or more equally the same moral options but she cannot choose both.
 5. William Styron’s famous Sophie’s Choice is a classic example. “Sophie Zawistowska
has been asked to choose which of her two children, Eva or Jan, will be sent to the
gas chamber in Auschwitz. An SS doctor, Fritz Jemand von Niemand, will grant a
dispensation to only one of Sophie’s children. If she does not choose which one
should live, Dr. von Niemand will send both to their death. Sophie chooses her
daughter Eva to go to the gas chamber. Her son, Jan, is sent to the Children’s
Camp.” What type of moral dilemma is this?
a. Prohibition Moral Dilemma
b. Obligation Moral Dilemma
c. Single-agent Moral Dilemma
d. Epistemic Moral Dilemma
Answer: Prohibition moral dilemma, because in that situation it involve cases in
which all feasible actions are forbidden.
6. I ought to honor my promise to my son to be home early, but on my way home I
saw a sick old man who needs to be brought to the hospital. What type of moral
dilemma is this?
a. Ontological moral dilemma
b. Epistemic moral dilemma
c. Single agent dilemma
d. Obligation moral dilemma
Answer: Epistemic moral dilemmas involve situations wherein two or more moral
requirements conflict with each other and that the moral agent hardly knows which of
the conflicting moral requirements takes precedence over the other.
X. none
XI. Definition of terms
■ Epistemic moral dilemmas involve situations wherein two or more moral
requirements conflict with each other and that the moral agent hardly knows
which of the conflicting moral requirements takes precedence over the other.
■ Ontological moral dilemmas, situations wherein two or more moral requirents
conflict with each other, yet neither of these conflicting moral requirements
overrides each other
■ Self-imposed moral dilemma is caused by the moral agent’s wrongdoings.
■ Obligation dilemmas are situations in which more than one feasible action is
obligatory, while prohibition dilemmas involve cases in which all feasible actions
are forbidden.
■ Single agent dilemma, the moral agent is compelled to act on two or more
equally the same moral options but she cannot choose both.
■ Multi-person dilemma, The multi-person dilemma requires more than choosing
what is right, it also entails that the persons involved reached a general consensus.
In such a manner, the moral obligation to do what is right becomes more
complicated.
■ Moral dilemma- A moral dilemma may be described as a situation where one
seems morally obliged to do different acts but for some reason or other he cannot
do both.
XII. Refereneces
McConnell, T. (2002). Moral dilemmas.
Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1957/1946, “Existentialism is a Humanism,” Trans, Philip Mairet, in
Walter Kaufmann (ed.), Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, New York:
Meridian, 287–311
----- 1989, “Two Types of Moral Dilemmas,” Erkenntnis, 30: 301–318.