Ethical Considerations

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Ethical Considerations
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Ethics

• What do we mean by ethics or unethical?
• Motivations to behave unethically
• Personal gain, especially power
• Competition
• Restoration of justice or fairness
• What is fairness?

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Some Ways to Behave Unethically

• Selective disclosure /or misrepresentation
  to others
• Deception
• False threats or false promises
• Provide false information (lie)
• Inflict intentional harm on the other party
• Selective disclosure or misrepresentation to
  constituencies

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Ethical Decisions Have Complexity

• Multiple alternatives
• Broad long-range consequences
• Uncertain consequences
• Mixture of economic, legal, ethical, social, and
  personal benefits and costs

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Some Ethical Systems

• Eternal law "capital-T truth"
• Ethical Egoism seek self-interests promote
  greatest balance of good over bad for self, with
  ethical constraints
• Utilitarianism greatest good for the greatest
  number, or maximize the social benefit function
• Universalism (Categorical imperative) would I
  be willing to make the basis for my action a
  general law binding everyone, given similar
  circumstances?
• Enlightened self-interest self-interest rightly
  understood, with long-term perspective or judging
  from my deathbed
• Ethics of interdependence interdependence
  between individuals is fundamental be willing to
  compromise to help the other side achieve goals

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Some Ethical Introspections

• Is it right?
• Is it fair?
• How does it smell?
• Who benefits and who gets hurt?
• What if details were made public?
• What would you tell your child to do?
• What if everyone did this?

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Consider

• Learning from your mistakes
• Look in the mirror see how you like what you
  see
• Put yourself in the other persons shoes and see
  how they see you
• However, dont be naive

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Exercise

• Individually, consider each of the Scenarios, one
  at a time
• Write your decision
• Write your reasoning
• In small groups, discuss reasoning for each
  Scenario, one at a time

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Kohlberg Stages of Moral Development

• Stage 1 Obedience and Punishment (e.g., I won't
  hit him because he may hit me back.)
• Stage 2 Individual Instrumental Purpose and
  Exchange (I will help her so she will help me in
  exchange.)
• Stage 3 "Good Boy/Girl" (I will go along with
  you because I want you/people to like me.)
• Stage 4 Law and Order (I will follow the
  rule/order because it is wrong not to.)
• Stage 5 Valuing Rights of Others plus Social
  Rights and Responsibilities (Although I disagree
  with his views, I support his right to have
  them.)
• Stage 6 Individual Principles of Conscience
  Grounded in Universal Ethical Principles (There
  is no external force that can compel me to do an
  act that I consider morally wrong.)

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Heinzs Reasoning re Stealing the Drug
Moral stage Argument For Argument Against
1 It isnt wrong its only worth 100 I probably wont get caught Its wrong its worth 4000 I probably will get caught punished
2 I dont want to lose my wife the drug is the only hope I shouldnt risk myself for my wife. It would be wrong to risk myself for her well-being.
3 Taking it is the only thing for a good husband to do. What would my friends say if I didnt try to save her? People wont blame me for not stealing the drug they wouldnt approve of stealing.
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Heinzs Reasoning (cont.)
Moral stage For Against
4 I must steal the drug to live up to my marriage vows. If husbands dont protect their wives, the family structure will disintegrate Stealing is illegal. I have to obey the law, no matter what. Imagine what society would be like if everybody broke the law.
5 The law is unjust because it does not protect my wifes right to life. I have no obligation to obey the law. I have an obligation to respect the scientists right to property it would be wrong to steal the drug.
6 The principle of the sanctity of life demands that I steal the drug, no matter the consequences to me. The principle of justice the greatest good for the greatest number prevents me from stealing it, even for the good of my wife.
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Reasoning from 693 class stealing drug
Moral stage For Against
1
2 9 5
3
4 1 4
5 6
6
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Reasoning from classes stealing drug
Moral stage For Against
1
2 9 (4) 5 (4)
3 (1)
4 1 (4) 4 (4)
5 6 (4)
6
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Reasoning from 693 class stealing drugOfficer
telling
Moral stage For Against
1
2 9 (2) 5 (5)
3
4 1 (19) 4
5 6
6
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Reasoning from classes stealing drugOfficer
telling
Moral stage For Against
1
2 9 (2) 4 (1) 5 (5) 4 (4)
3 1 (2)
4 1 (19) 4 (14) 4 4
5 6 4
6
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Reasoning from 693 class stealing drugOfficer
telling, Jail Time
Moral stage For Against
1
2 9 (2) 5 (5) (12)
3
4 1 (19) (13) 4
5 6
6
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Reasoning from classes stealing drugOfficer
telling, Jail Time
Moral stage For Against
1 (punishment)
2 (benefits) 9 (2) 4,1,1 5 (5) (12) 4,4,10
3 (social approval) 1 2,1
4 (law order) 1 (19) (13) 4,14,12 4 4
5 (others rights) 6 4
6 (universal ethical principles)
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The Insufficiency of Honesty/honesty.doc

• Honesty refusal to steal, lie, or deceive in
  any way
• Integrity trustworthiness incorruptibility to
  a degree that one is incapable of being false to
  a trust or responsibility

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Integrity

• Honesty is necessary, but not sufficient
• The most important thing in acting is honesty
  once you learn to fake that, youre in.
• - Sam Goldwyn

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Integrity

• Honesty
• Discerning
• Examining beliefs assumptions
• Searching for "truth," avoiding error
• Allowing others the same
• Acting on what you have discerned
• Even at personal cost
• Saying openly that you are acting re the above
• Fulfilling moral obligations
• Do no harm to others
• Not just the minimum

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