Ethical Decision Making Framework
FOCUS: IDEALS
NAME: Michael Mills
STEP ONE: THE DETAILS OF THE CASE
(1) Choose one inquiry, from inquiries 1 - 28 (pages 114 - 117). Indicate which inquiry you chose, and then briefly explain it in your own words:
- I choose number 10, in which a officer overhears a description of a robber. The description sounds exactly like the officer's brother, and the officer pretends he did'nt hear any of the conversation from the victim to the desk sergeant.
(2) Stakeholders: Name each person, group, organization, etc., that has a stake in this outcome.
- The officer, officer's brother, the victim, police department, officers family, and desk sergeant.
(3) Are the details given sufficient? Why or why not?
- No, doesnt explain the type of robbery, whether it involved physical complications or just verbally.
(4) What additional questions does this inquiry raise?
- Was the victim hurt? Where was the officer's brother? How much was robbed?
STEP TWO: THE RELEVANT CRITERIA
1. Obligations (aka "duties"): Optional this week
2. Moral Ideals (aka "virtues"): See breakdown of ideals below
3. Consequences (aka "outcomes" or "results"): Optional this week
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Prudence: Yes, the most appropriate response would have been telling the desk sergeant that the description sounds familiar to his brother, so if it was his brother it would be safe from anymore robberys from him.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Justice: Yes since were dealing with the enforcers of justice, the officer should have reported his brother.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Temperance: Yes, the officer lacked in temperance because of the love for his brother he had, he didnt want to turn his older brother in.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Courage: Yes, not directly but the officer did have to face the fact that he was not going to help this victim and fellow officers find the robber.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Loving Kindness: Yes, he took more of a relation to his brother in doing so gave his brother an act of kindness by not presenting him as the robber of that crime.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Honesty: Yes, the officer was never asked directly but still refused to assist.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Compassion: No, not enough information about the older brother to sense any compassion in the officers decision.
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Forgiveness: No, not enough information about the officer and his older brothers relationship
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Repentance: No, not enough information
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Reparation: No, not enough information
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Gratitude: No, not enough information
* Cardinal Ideal/Virtue of Beneficence: Yes, to have not so akward thanksgiving with family.
* Conflicting ideals--consider the relative importance of each; determine which ideal represents the greater good (or the lesser evil). See pages 110-11 for clarification.
- Justice and loving kindness conflict with one another. Justice would represent the greater good.
- Courage and honesty conflict. Honest would be the greater good.
STEP THREE: POSSIBLE COURSES OF ACTION
Alternative #1: Officer turns in the older brother to check with the victim to see if he actually is the robber?
Alternative #2: The officer leaves his decision the way it is, and let his fellow officers find the robber on their own.
Alternative #3: The officer lets his brother know what he heard, and finds out if his older brother really did commit the crime, if so, he could either help hide his brother, or give him a head start from the police.
STEP FOUR: THE MOST ETHICAL ACTION
Examine the action taken or proposed and decide whether it achieves the greater good (the most widespread "respect for persons")...if it does not, choose one that will, from your alternatives. Where the choice of actions is such that no good can be achieved, choose the action that will result in the lesser evil.
- The action that will result in lesser evil would be for the officer to report his older brother as a possible suspect that fits the description. In doing so, they can prove if his older brother is the robber and goods the victim, the police officers in that station, and the officer wouldnt have a much of a guilty conscience. If it turns out not to be the officers brother, the brothers would feel alot more calm about the situation.
SELF EVALUATION
1. In your own words, describe something new that you learned from this week’s assigned reading material and guidance.
- I learned that comparing each other ideals and virtues you find your greater good decision alot easier rather than deciding off your own personal choice.
2. In your own words, describe in detail some insight you gained, about the material, from one of your classmates' blogs this week.
- Jason Moniz, my good buddy right here, and also did the same inquiry as I. Jason and I also disagree when it comes to the virtue of reparation, he believes that on hearing about the crime, the officer feels obligated to undo his harm. I disagree because the officer did nothing to his brother, so there is no need from the officer to undo something he hasn't done.
3. Did you post a thoroughly completed post to your blog on time this week?
- Yes I completely finished the blog, and I have 28 minutes left till the exact due time. YaY! x]
4. Did you ALSO print this out, so you can bring it to class and earn total points?
- I sure will when I finish the last question from this assignment.
5. Of 25 points total, my efforts this week deserve:
- I deserve a 24 out of 25, I really understand more of all moral ideals that go through a ethical decision being made.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Blog Assignment #9
In this section, we're going to return for a moment to Chapter 7, to the section that discusses errors that are common in the analysis of moral issues (p. 89). Briefly explain each of the following errors in your own words, as if you were explaining the concept to a friend who had never taken this class (consider who, what, when, where, why, how, when); and then give an example of each one, preferably from your own past experience.
Unwarranted Assumptions:
- I would define unwarranted assumptions as more of a accidental mistake. It occurs only when one is being careless and unaware of what is really happening in the problem. An example of this would be a student reading a problem but read too quickly to understand the entirety of the problem.
Oversimplification:
- Oversimplification is a statement that is simplified too much. Simplification is usual when one wants to make it simpler to understand for themselves, but oversimplification is an accidental occurrence when one attempts to simplify too much that not even he/she can understand. An example would be a student copying notes down and attempting to simplify but simplifies too much to where not even he was able to understand it after reading it again.
Hasty Conclusions:
- Conclusion to where a strong personal belief clouds the his/her judgement on the issue. Usually caused from past experiences, or raised in a certain culture that would give a strong personal belief to make hasty conclusions. For example, a student makes a quick decision with a partner, without even acknowledging his partner his decision which was a hasty decision.
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ASSIGNMENT PART TWO
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Briefly answer the following "chapter opening" questions, in your own words, based on what you learned by studying chapter eight:
1. What do we do in situations where there is more than a single obligation?
- When two obligations are present, sometimes they conflict with each other. It creates a dilemma that one has to weight them both.
2. How can we reconcile conflicting obligations?
- We decide among them through weighting the possible outcomes from the obligations. We weight them by choosing which obligation would be better suitable for the situation.
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ASSIGNMENT PART THREE
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1. In a nutshell, what is the most important thing, for you, that you learned from this assignment?
- The most important thing I learned from this assignment is the different kinds of errors commonly made like; unwarranted assumptions, oversimplification, and hasty conclusions.
All of those errors will all result if one doesnt take the time to look over carefully and make a good decision.
2. How will you apply what you learned through this assignment to your everyday life?
- We already apply these concepts to our everyday life, some of us look over our work, and make sure we dont make the usual kinds of errors made. Then we all also deal with multiple kinds of obligations that conflict with one another, by weighting them to choose the best one for the situation.
3. What grade do you believe your efforts regarding this assignment deserve? Justify your answer.
- I believe i deserve a 23 out of 25, because I understood a majority of the assignment, and honestly did learn more about decision making and errors we normally make by accident.
Unwarranted Assumptions:
- I would define unwarranted assumptions as more of a accidental mistake. It occurs only when one is being careless and unaware of what is really happening in the problem. An example of this would be a student reading a problem but read too quickly to understand the entirety of the problem.
Oversimplification:
- Oversimplification is a statement that is simplified too much. Simplification is usual when one wants to make it simpler to understand for themselves, but oversimplification is an accidental occurrence when one attempts to simplify too much that not even he/she can understand. An example would be a student copying notes down and attempting to simplify but simplifies too much to where not even he was able to understand it after reading it again.
Hasty Conclusions:
- Conclusion to where a strong personal belief clouds the his/her judgement on the issue. Usually caused from past experiences, or raised in a certain culture that would give a strong personal belief to make hasty conclusions. For example, a student makes a quick decision with a partner, without even acknowledging his partner his decision which was a hasty decision.
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ASSIGNMENT PART TWO
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Briefly answer the following "chapter opening" questions, in your own words, based on what you learned by studying chapter eight:
1. What do we do in situations where there is more than a single obligation?
- When two obligations are present, sometimes they conflict with each other. It creates a dilemma that one has to weight them both.
2. How can we reconcile conflicting obligations?
- We decide among them through weighting the possible outcomes from the obligations. We weight them by choosing which obligation would be better suitable for the situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASSIGNMENT PART THREE
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1. In a nutshell, what is the most important thing, for you, that you learned from this assignment?
- The most important thing I learned from this assignment is the different kinds of errors commonly made like; unwarranted assumptions, oversimplification, and hasty conclusions.
All of those errors will all result if one doesnt take the time to look over carefully and make a good decision.
2. How will you apply what you learned through this assignment to your everyday life?
- We already apply these concepts to our everyday life, some of us look over our work, and make sure we dont make the usual kinds of errors made. Then we all also deal with multiple kinds of obligations that conflict with one another, by weighting them to choose the best one for the situation.
3. What grade do you believe your efforts regarding this assignment deserve? Justify your answer.
- I believe i deserve a 23 out of 25, because I understood a majority of the assignment, and honestly did learn more about decision making and errors we normally make by accident.
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