Old Blog post #3 - A Conundrum Courtesy of Kohlberg

July 2011

Lawrence Kohlberg spent many years developing the findings and theories of other psychologists such as Piaget on the subject of moral development. To test his theories, he devised a number of dilemmas for his subjects. Have a go at the most famous, I will add discussion of the findings at a later date :)

Heinz and the Druggist

Heinz’s wife is near death due to cancer. The doctor believes there is one drug, recently discovered by a biochemist, which may be able to save her. The drug is pricey to produce - costing $200 for a course of treatment, however the biochemist is charging $2,000 for this amount. Heinz tries many forms of fundraising and borrowing to raise the money, but cannot gather more than $1,000. Heinz goes to the biochemist, asking him for a reduced price or to let him pay at a later date, however the biochemist stubbornly sticks to his price. An act of desperation, Heinz breaks into the biochemist’s lab and steals some of the drug.

Was Heinz justified in his action? If so, why? If not, why not?