WORK SHEET ON CONSCIENCE

A. Read and study each of the situations and then try to decide how you would help resolve the problems presented

SITUATION A You go to a school where there is a lot of pressure to achieve a high grade. The situation is further complicated by your demanding parents who expect you to do well. You have a pretty good average over your first three years in high school. You are now in your senior year and in a physics class. The teacher is a little unfair. He has planned a difficult test for you and your classmates. You know from the past experience that 50 percent of the students cheat at their exams. You have studied pretty hard, but you know that unless you cheat, many others will get a higher grade than you. What would you do?

Reasons to cheat (3) 1 to get high score 2 __Peer Pressure___ 3 ___Unfair Teacher__

Reasons to remain honest (3) Conscience&Integrity ____Fairness_________ ___Confidence in abilities_______

My decision: On a scale from 1 (most inclined to cheat) to 5 (I will remain honest), I would decide: / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 /

SITUATION B

A good friend of yours offers you some drugs in order for you to get high. You show an initial unwillingness to take them. He tries to talk you into it by saying that his experience with drugs is that they are fun. Besides, he says, you cannot really hurt anyone but yourself. He further adds that it is nobodys business but yours whether you take the drug or not. The law and parents should no prevent you from enjoying yourself. Would you take the drug?

Reasons to take drugs

Reasons not to take drugs

1 ___Its Fun__________

Its against the Law________ _It might hurt

2 Nothing Bad will happen to anyone you_________

3 _Peer Pressure______

_Initial instinct_______

My decision: On a scale from 1 (most inclined to take it) to 5 (I will not take the drug), I would decide: / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 /

Decision: 5

SITUATION C Your post high school career has taken you into the Air Force. Unfortunately, your country is at war with a separatist group of rebels in a far off town that wants to secede on the basis of their beliefs. You respect the law and believe very much in the values in your constitution. On a particular day, you are ordered to bomb and totally destroy the village where the rebels are hiding. The rebels are a majority there although among them too are many old people and children. The

residents do not support the rebels but are silent on account of their fear of the rebels getting back at them. Should you bomb?

Reasons to bomb

Reasons not to bomb

1 __Orders_________ 2 Bad People in Village& help country 3 __Someone will bomb it anyway_______

Innocents_ _Killing is Bad______ _Personal Values____

My decision: On a scale from 1 (most inclined to bomb) to 5 (I will not bomb), I would decide: / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 /

Decision: 3

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. SITUATION A: Is cheating ever right? Does the argument because everyone else is doing it make it right? Can you think of some consequences for society if morality were based on that argument? No, but there might be some(probably absurd) situation where it could be right. The argument Because everyone is doing it doesn't make it right. If morality were based on that argument, anything popular would be right. It would be easier to fall to peer pressure, even in graver sins. If all countries were to go to war with a certain nation, you can also go to war because everyone else is doing it.

2. SITUATION B: Would your decision concerning drugs have made a difference if the drug were marijuana? Shabu? Do parents and society have a right to limit your fun?

I probably would still not have taken the drug, but if the drug was safer, I would have considered taking it more, like if it were marijuana, and consider less if it were more dangerous like Shabu, but I still would not have taken it. I think parents have a right to limit your fun, as long as it doesn't invade personal rights, because as a minor, they are responsible for you, and you may not have complete knowledge. Society also has a right because sometimes fun might endanger people.

3. SITUATION C: Are we always obliged to follow authority? Where do we draw a line between disobedience to law and conscience?

We are supposed to follow authority, but when the authority's decision is not right, then we might have an aversion to it, especially when the decision is controversial. We draw the line between disobedience and conscience when you are sure that there is some other option to the orders of the authority figure.

C. CONSCIENCE SURVEY Something is right for me if I think it is right

1.

[ ____ ] [ ____ ] [ _X__ ] [ ____ ] [ ____ ] 1 2 3 4 5

B. Something is right if my intention and feelings are right. [ ____ ] [ ____ ] [ __X__ ] [ ____ ] [ ____ ] 1 2 3 4 5

C. Something is right if others say it is. [ ____ ] [ ____ ] [ __X__ ] [ ____ ] [ ____ ] 1 2 3 4 5

D. A mix of many things

[ ____ ] [ ____ ] [ ____ ] [ ____ ] [ __X__ ] 1 2 3 4 5