Scenario 1: You are the first person to arrive in your classroom and as you sit down you notice an iPod on the floor underneath the adjacent seat. You pick it up and turn it on. It works fine and even has some of your favorite music listed. You realize that you are the only one in the room and no one will know if you keep it. You see other students entering the room so you place the iPod on the floor next to your belonging. You will have the whole class period to decide what to do.
Scenario 2: Instead of finding the iPod you are a friend who sits next to the person who finds it. As class begins your friend leans over and asks your advice about what to do.
Scenario 3:You are now a student representative on the judicial board at school. The student who kept the iPod is accused of stealing. How would you make the decision about the situation?
Students are asked to consider the following questions related to the above scenarios.
What are the key facts that you should consider before making a decision as either the person who discovered the iPod the friend or the judicial board member?
Is this an ethical issue? What exactly are the ethical aspects involved in your decision?
Who else is involved or should be involved in this decision? Who has a stake in the outcome?
What alternatives are available to you? What are the consequences of each alternative?
How would each of your alternatives affect the other people you have identified as having a stake in the outcome?
Where might you look for additional guidance to assist you in resolving this particular dilemma?