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Humans through ethics, create morality, a personal or social code of conduct. The principles for one's morality are founded by the ethical standards of their society. Through experience, education, religion, and morality humans develop morals based on social and religious ethics. Morals give humans the ability to distinguish the morally right and good decision to make when confronted with a moral dilemma. However, in some instances we are confronted with a morally problematic situation in which it is difficult to distinguish the morally correct solution. For example, we"ll consider the morally problematic situation faced by my neighbors, the Turners. The Turner family is like any average, American, middle-class family of Catholic faith. One night Michael, the Turners eldest son who had just graduated from college, went out to a bar to celebrate. Later, in the morning hours, Michael decides that he should go home. He decides to drive home even though he was full of liquor and could barely walk. On his way home Michael runs a red light, proceeds to smash into a car, thereby killing the driver. He then leaves the scene, of which there were no witnesses, and hurries home. Michael's parents tell him to stay at the house while they attempt to resolve and analyze the situation. The next day, a couple of police officers arrive at the house and question Michael's parents about his whereabouts on the previous night. Unbeknown to them he was a suspect for vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crime. .
What is the morally correct decision for the Michaels parents to make in this situation? Should they protect their son from prosecution or hand him over to the proper authorities? His parents must decide which of their options is morally correct, and then choose that option. The ethical principles of divine moral authority and utilitarianism can be used to help a person distinguish the morally correct decision, when confronted with a morally problematic situation.
