Iowa Western Community College Ethics of whistleblowing Discussion Introduction The play, An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen (Links to an external si

Iowa Western Community College Ethics of whistleblowing Discussion Introduction

The play, An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen (Links to an external site.), a Norwegian playwright, is set in southern Norway and was published in 1882.

In the play, Dr. Thomas Stockmann is the medical officer of a city-owned spa or public bath. His brother, Peter, is the mayor of the town.

Dr. Stockmann has discovered that water supplying the baths is contaminated and will cause serious illness. Just before the scene you will read, Dr. Stockmann has just met with newspaper publishers in the town, and they have indicated that they would publish the result of the tests showing that the water is contaminated. Dr. Stockmann has also sent the results to Peter. Peter arrives at the house to discuss this with Dr. Stockmann.

That’s where the part of Act 2 linked below begins.

Henrik Ibsen, excerpt from An Enemy of the People

(Below is an image of a scene from the 1978 movie version of the play.)

Your response

In response to the excerpt from Ibsen’s play, An Enemy of the People, thoughtfully address *two* of the questions below.

What is the primary dilemma facing Dr. Stockmann as a result of what happens in this scene?
What are the morally relevant factors in the scenario? That is, what features of the situation give a person a moral reason (as opposed to a merely financial reason or a self-interested reason) to make a decision one way or another?
Do you agree with Peter Stockmann when he says to Dr. Stockmann the following: “as a subordinate member of the staff of the Baths, you have no right to express any opinion which runs contrary to that of your superior” ?
Could Dr. Stockmann have handled the situation in a different way prior to this conversation?
Peter Stockmann attempts to mollify Dr. Stockmann by suggesting that sometime in the future they will quietlylook into taking care of the water problem. He says that in the future “the Committee, at its discretion, will not be disinclined to consider the question of how far it might be possible to introduce certain improvements consistently with a reasonable expenditures.” Based on your impression of Peter in this scene, do you believe that he is sincere? Explain.
What moral flaws does Peter Stockmann appear to have? What about Dr. Stockmann? Does he have any moral flaws?
What would you do in this situation if you were Dr. Stockmann?
Discussion posting instructions
Post

In your post, answer two of the numbered questions above (including all sub-questions within it).

Be sure to (1) state which questions you’re answering and then (2) compose a thoughtful, considered response to the questions, explaining your answer in a way that leaves the reader with a good understanding of your thinking.

After you have written your thoughtful response, (3) end your post with a question that you think would need to be answered in light of what you’ve written or by anyone else attempting to answer the question you’ve answered or any other question raised by issue. Doing this encourages the idea that there’s more that needs to be said and thought about in your response, that your response cannot have covered everything and addressed every aspect of the question. A good question is one that would require a thoughtful, reflective paragraph-long responses and could not be answered in a word, phrase, or short sentence. So the question needs to be an open-ended question. It should not just repeat one of the questions above. Nor should it merely ask what the reader thinks of your response. And explain why you’re asking this question. Note that you are not answering your own question; rather you are explaining why you’re asking this question, why it’s an important question to be asked.

Comments

After you have composed and submitted your post, comment on two other posts. Do this by writing thoughtful responses to the question that the posts ask at the end of their post (although you also may certainly comment on anything else in their post that you find interesting, especially if it is connected to your response to their question.)

Note: If you are among the first students to post, there may be none–or not very many–other posts on which to comment. So you may need to return in several days to read and comment on posts by other students.