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- Question for the class: What does Ethics mean to you?
Answers will be written on the board and discussed.
(Is it religion, feelings, rules, opinions, something very
private...?)
- "Ethics is two things. First, ethics refers
to well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what
humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations,
benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for
example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable
obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault,
slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that
enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty. And, ethical
standards include standards relating to rights, such as the
right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right
to privacy. Such standards are adequate standards of ethics
because they are supported by consistent and well founded
reasons.
Secondly, ethics refers to the study and
development of one's ethical standards.... Ethics also means,
then, the continuous effort of studying our own moral beliefs
and our moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the
institutions we help to shape, live up to standards that are
reasonable and solidly-based" (Source: Velasquez et al
"What
is Ethics")
Ethics asks, "What is good & what is bad and is it even possible
to know." (Chauncey Group 61)
- Question for the class: Why study Ethics?
- Marvin Brown writes, "Our decisions are as
good as the resources we use to make them. Most poor decisions
are made, not because decision makers want to make poor
decisions, but because they lack important resources" (The
Ethical Process, 1)
- Dr. L. Schlessinger writes, "The ultimate
quality of your life and your happiness is determined by your
courageous and ethical choices and your overall attitude" We
need to know what our ethical principles are in order to live up
to them.
- Walkup writes, "Studying ethics arms us
with resources to make better informed decisions. It brings a
richness, depth, and fullness to life. It helps us
to understand what it truly means to be human, what it means to
love. It allows one to see that one measure of man is how
loving and generous and ethical he is to the weakest, to
those that can do him no favor in return. "
- Question for the class: How do you know what is right,
and what is "conscience"?
- Where do your ethics come from? Are they
one and the same with your religion?
Are feelings enough to guide human behavior? Are rules
enough? What rules are good? What does conscience mean to
you? Is conscience always right?, or is it an imperfect
guide?
- Definitions of conscience:
Socrates sees conscience as "the mystical
voice that warned him not to do certain things. This
voice, to which he often referred, was regarded as a
divine voice and he always paid heed to it. " (Patterson
18)
Freud saw conscience as the
internal voice of the parents repeating commands.
Augustine of Hippo saw conscience as the
voice of God.
The traditional definition
of conscience is "The operation of the intellect whereby
one determines the rightness and wrongness of an
action."
MW
Dictionary: the sense or
consciousness of the moral goodness or
blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or
character together with a feeling of obligation to do
right or be good"
- Fortune cookie experiment
- Read your fortune.
Do you
like it?
Do you think you can make it happen?
Heraclitus said, "Character is fate."
(See additional quotations on character
here.)
What does this quotation mean?
To what extent can character determine our fate?
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- Question for the class: Is one who knows what is
right more likely to do right?
It is not enough to talk about and know
ethical virtues. We must have the ability/character to
practice these. We do not want to be the drug addict who
can't pass up a join? How do we acquire the ability to act
ethically?
- Character is needed.
- What is character?
Character is the sum total of who we are.
It is who
we are when nobody is looking.
- How is character revealed?
It is
revealed by how we treat someone that can do nothing for
us.
- How does one achieve character?
By
developing the virtues.
Let us pause to define a few
key words in ethics:
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Vocabulary Refresher |
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Habit: |
A repeated action |
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Virtue |
A repeated good action .
That which enables us to
flourish.
Examples are
prudence, justice,
fortitude, temperance,
honesty, fidelity,
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Vice |
A repeated bad action |
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Character |
The sum total of one's
virtue and vices. Who one is |
- Question for the class:
Who is the
successful student?
Is it a matter of brains, time, ability to pay a tutor?
How do teachers "know" what students grades will be in no
time at all?
- The successful student is generally
one who has character.
He who has character indicates one would be disciplined
enough come to class, do his best, study as needed, get
help from the tutoring or writing center when
appropriate. He would persevere.
If a bad grade comes along, his character would move him
to be a ( responsible) Creator rather than a (blaming)
Victim. He would not blame others & accept
responsibility & figure out (maybe with the instructor's
help) what needs to be done so he can succeed. He would
not be the Creator who complains, "That stupid teacher
can't teach. It's his fault I failed. He deserves to be
fired. I quit. I'm dropping out because of him. That
will show him."
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5 Steps to
Ethical Decision Making |
| 1 |
Get the
Facts. Understand the situation. |
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Distinguish between facts and
opinions.
Know who, what, when, where, why, how, by what means.
- Facts tell you what is
(descriptive ethics) -
not what should be (normative
ethics)
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| 2 |
Identify values that come into play.
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Honesty, justice, individual
rights, loyalty, compassion
What values do you feel should be protected?
When there are two conflicting values (like
integrity and loyalty
- breaking a promise and telling an important secret) decide which is
primary and why
What values are primary (and why)? |
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Identify/list all the alternatives
& determine the outcome of these alternatives.
(Keep your goals & intention in mind. )
Evaluate these ethical principles in the grid
below: |
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Utilitarian:
The greatest
good for greatest number
Does this yield the most overall good/happiness and the least harm/pain?
Does this seem to be in the best interest for
most concerned?
Does this lead to the best overall consequences?
Kantian Respect/ Golden
Rule/Divine Command: Exceptionless Universal
Laws
Does this respects everyone's
rights? The poor and disenfranchised are not
overlooked.
Is everyone is treated with utmost fairness,
dignity, and respect?
Rules are for everyone & they are clear; you
must simply follow them.
Never do any evil, even if it "may" yield a
greater good.
No one is used or mistreated or coerced.
(Note: one is coerced/used when lied to, as exploiting means
deceiving)
Egoism
Am I doing what will ultimately
benefit me?
Are my needs being met by doing this?
Will I feel good after doing this?
Is this the best solution for me?
Social Contract: Promoting the good of the
community
Does this promote the common good (to the company, school,
profession, group, community, society)?
Is the good name maintained? Are reputations
kept intact?
Is it as fair as it can be for everyone?
Remember that a community is a network of
relationships & dishonesty/cheating undermine
its foundation.
Ethics of Care/Feminist Ethics:
Do the most caring thing
Is this the most caring and loving act, regardless
of established rules?
Is this the action that maintains, nourishes,
and promotes our relationship?
How will this act impact my relationship in the
future?
Virtue Ethics: We are what
we do
Does this act contribute to making me the type
of person I want to be? (What do I most want to
be?)
Virtue ethics posits that good acts transform us
into good people and that bad acts harm us,
for example, dishonest actions make us dishonest
people and using other makes us exploiters.
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Ask
yourself, "Which is the best choice?" |
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Is this outcome
the one which best mirrors my values?
Is this outcome the way I would really like
prefer the situation to be?
Is this really the best plan (for the
short and long-range)- even though it may be
more inconveniencing and difficult?
Does this decision build from the best points of
ethical theories?
* Egoism: Will I feel good about this decision?
*Kantianism: Have I shown respect to individuals involved, or
have I used them?
*Utilitarianism: Will this decision ultimately bring happiness?
*Ethics of Care: Does this act demonstrate caring for the other
*Virtue Ethics; Will this act contribute to making me the type of
person I want to become? |
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Commit to action |
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If this is a
personal action, commit to it and do it. |
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Case Study for Discussion and
Evaluation
You are the first student to walk in a classroom and see a $50 bill
just lying on the floor. You pick it up and put it in your
pocket. As the story goes in all case studies, of course, you are
broke; Christmas is around the corner; your child believes in
Santa Claus.
You are already working 30 hours a week at minimum wage, taking three
courses, and struggling to pay rent, transportation costs, food,
internet, and cell phone bills.
You have coincidentally just heard of a one-evening
local opportunity to make quick money: You could pose nude for $250,
strip for $500, or participate in a X-rated video for $1,000.
You're also having a particularly bad day
because you just heard your classmate earned an A- on
the last paper he submitted. He had paid a tutor to help him
for 2 hours a day over the past two weeks. What's more, they
are beginning a dating relationship.
You can hardly pay your bills, never mind
a tutor, nor do you have time for investing in a
relationship The cards of life are stacked against you. What should you
do?
- Drop out of school temporarily until
you are financially stable
- Keep the $50
- Report the $50
- Borrow some money that you may not be
able to pay back
- Pose nude
- Strip
- Make an X-rated video
- Other
Matrix for Ethical Decision Making
Education is the art of making man ethical. Hegel, 1821 |
| List action that
could be taken |
Utilitarian
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Kantian Respect/
Golden Rule/
Divine Command |
Social Contract |
Ethics of Care |
Virtue Ethics
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Rate this choice on a
scale of 1-5 |
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Does this maximize the greatest good for greatest
number?
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Are rules followed & is everyone shown respect?
(Is there freedom without coercion?) |
Does this promote the good of the community (the
school & its reputation) |
Was the most caring action taken to preserve
all relationships? |
Is this
action contributing towards making the individual a better person? |
1=worst
2=bad
3=middle of the road
4= good
5= best |
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YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
YES |
NO |
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| Drop out |
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| Keep the $50 |
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| Report the $50 |
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| Borrow $ |
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| Pose Nude |
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| Strip |
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| Make X-rated video |
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- Fun Time!!!! Enjoy yourselves:
TWO BONUS CASE STUDIES FOR A FUTURE
DISCUSSION
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The following is a case study President Jones discussed with
my students:
- Twenty-nine year old Debora Rodriquez is a militant member of Brazil's
landless movement (MST) which is battling for redistribution of
underutilized land to 4.8 million landless families.
- Debora was offered $18,000 to pose nude for Playboy.
- Debora, who is currently living in a tent will use the money to buy a
home and items sorely needed by her two children.
- Some members of MST (some of whom oppose her posing nude) are asking
for a portion of the money.
What do you think of Ms. Rodriquez's actions? Are they morally
justifiable?
If so, why.
If not, why not?
This case study was taken from
Ethics Update
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Bonus Case Study: Complicity with KFC
- Do we have an obligation not to
needlessly waste or destroy our natural resources?
If so, where does this obligation come from? If not,
why not?
- Do we have an obligation to not
exploit, misuse or pollute the environment?
- Is nature just a source of
resources for us, or does it have other value?
- Should we be
vegetarians?
- Should we raise animals for food?
- Should we experiment with
animals?
- Should animals be killed for
sport?
- What should/can we use animals
for?
- Should we impose our
environmental ethics on developing nations (those
that burn wood, for example)
- Does purchasing KFC imply complicity with their
treatment of chickens?
(complicity means association or participation in
a wrongful act)
KFC Video from PETA TV
Visit
Kentucky Fried Cruelty
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At the end of the day ask yourself, "How much love have I shown?"
Did I honor all principles that are important to me? (loyalty (speaking
well of others behind their backs), honesty, justice, fairness |
