Liwayway P.

Degorio
BSED-ENG1 / ETHICS

Situation: Rudy is living with his family in a scarce, poverty stricken country. Where he live, there
is no food bank, and he and his family are starving to death. One day, he was out trying to find
some sort of food to nourish his family, he found a huge sack full of money that has fallen of the
back of a truck and the owner of the money didn’t noticed it. He realized this would be a fortune
to his family, perhaps a problem.
On that day, while Rudy was striving to find some sort of food for his family, something
miraculous (or problematic) occurs. On this view, there is one obvious catch. The money that has
fallen off the back of the truck belongs to someone else and to take it and use it for his family
would be stealing. He could explain his situation to the rightful owner of the money. Below are
some of examples of potential actions:
a. Return the money to its rightful owner or
b. take the money and use it to help his family.

By inference, then there would be the possible values:

Stage one (honesty): Rudy should not take the money or else he will consequently suffer the
conformity of his action.
Or: Rudy should take the money because the owner didn’t notice that the money has fallen off
the back of the truck.

Stage two (self-interest): Rudy should take the money because he will be much happier if he save
his family from poverty even if he will have to take part of his conscience.
Or: Rudy should not take the money because conscience is an awful feeling and more likely, to
take it and use it would be stealing.
Stage three (conformity): Rudy should take the money because his family needs it, he wants his
family escape from poverty-ridden life. You cannot blame him.
Or: Rudy should not take the money because taking and using the money which belongs to
someone else is being likened to stealing. He just wanted to find some food for his family without
malefactions.
The outcome of this moral dilemma is all about being honest. Rudy should not take the
money because obviously it belongs to the rightful owner. It happened for a reason which is to
test his moral character even if it has to do with his family’s situation. Because he can always find
a way on how to survive from poverty and can raise his family without taking or stealing
properties from other people as well.