Moral Dilemma

The exact meaning of a dilemma is a situation in which you have to choose between two equally unpleasant alternatives. There is an old saying "to be on the horns of a dilemma" which suggests how painful this position can be. A moral dilemma is even worse, because whichever option you choose, someone or something will suffer. In a moral dilemma, you have to decide on the morally correct course of action, not just the one you would prefer. Ethical dilemma is a complex situation that will often involve an apparent mental conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another. This is also called an ethical paradox since in moral philosophy, paradox plays a central role in ethics debates. For instance, an ethical admonition to "love thy neighbor as thy self" is not always just in contrast with, but sometimes in contradiction to an armed neighbor actively trying to rape you: if he or she succeeds, you will not be able to love him or her. But to preemptively attack them or restrain them is not usually understood as loving. This is one of the classic examples of an ethical decision clashing or conflicting with an organismic decision, one that would be made only from the perspective of animal survival: an animal is thought to act only in its immediate perceived bodily self-interests when faced with bodily harm, and to have limited ability to perceive alternatives Situation: Two students are about to appear in a final exams and they are aware of the fact that if they are unable to get good marks here they will fail and furthermore both were unable to study up to satisfaction level one of them decided to take the help of studious friend for cheating while the other have no good relation with other students and teacher invigilating is also aware of the fact.

Level 1. Pre convention Morality
Stage 1: Approval: Teacher should allow the student to cheat and good marks or else he/she will fail because no one is watching except him/her. Disapproval: Teacher should not allow cheating at any cost because a management staff or a student can report against him/her and she might get punished for it.

Stage 2: Approval: Cheating should be allowed so that He/she can pass the subject and become a good student in future and stay loyal and sincere to teacher. Disapproval: The student have nothing to do with teacher and wont provide extra benefit to him/her so cheating shouldnt be allowed.

Level II. Conventional Morality
Stage 3: Approval: Teacher should allow cheating because people will consider him a cooperative, and a student concern. Disapproval: Teacher should not allow cheating then people will consider him an irresponsible teacher who prefers his own interest on rather than college interest.

Stage 4: Approval: Teacher should allow cheating because its a serious case and student will suffer and his future is on doubt.

Disapproval: Should not allow cheating because its not fair and against the law. If he allowed cheating for his student so he performed wrong action which violates the law.

Level III. Post conventional Morality
5 Stage: Approval: Should allow cheating because its in our social duty to help others in such serious situations. Disapproval: Should not allow cheating because its student mistake he/she didnt studied well and if allowed to cheat it will be against social right of others student who are regular.

6 Stage: Approval: It violates the universal ethical principle but what about human rights if a question of high marks will ruin his/her future and as students are cluster of future and should increase attendance. Disapproval: Rule is rule and principle is principle, no one should violate it if an ethical agent is violating than what about the rest of society.