Approaches to Ethics Paper Example

3-1 Lying to the Sick and Dying

The physician finds a terminal illness during a patient's routine check-up. He does not want to disclose it since it is a terminal condition. The moral question is, "Should he tell him about his condition despite there being no solution?" Moral principles include professionalism and doctor-patient honesty. Lying is morally impermissible since the patient is a sane and grown person with the ability to make decisions. Virtue ethics also require the doctor to be courageous and open at all times hence he should disclose his findings immediately. His duty is to provide treatment and offer progress hence failure to give information does not follow duty ethics. He should include the available treatment methods and his reservations and tell the patient immediately to give him time to think about it.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

3-2 Lies of Public Officials

The mayor knows about the document and the fact that people are in support of rent control. He plans to abolish it when elected but denies it so as to maintain the popular vote. The moral question is, "Does he say the truth and risk his chances of getting elected?" This decision is concerned with principles of truth and duty. The lying is morally impermissible since he will do the opposite of what people entrust him. According to virtue ethics, he is dishonest. Deontological ethics considers the action and his was a lie, which is wrong. Consequentialists also consider it unethical since the voters, who are many, will be unhappy

3-3 Is a Good Deed Required?

Alexis has a moral obligation to return the money she found in the parking lot back to the bank. It would be unethical to hold onto this money yet it was in a zippered bag with the bank's name on top. Doing the right thing is a moral principle, and the core point of deontology ethics (Dobrin, 2012). The bank, as it turned out, was able to trace the owner and return his money. The consequences of this action made everybody happy and hence it is right according to utilitarian thinking. The amount in the bag does not affect the moral obligation of Alexis since the most important thing was that she returned the money without bothering to verify the amount. The owner of the bag is not required to offer any rewards to Alexis but it would be good to appreciate a good deed

3-4 Raising Awareness Committing Crimes

The actions conducted by the police are meant to create a sense of awareness in the community and help in combating crime. However, the method they chose to implement the exercise is not appropriate. It is an invasion of privacy to roleplay using real citizens without their consent, despite the fact that thieves also come without announcing. One of the residents could decide to get a gun in self-defense instead of calling the police, while the officers could cause undue shock to the community members. It is impermissible in deontology ethics since if it was made universal, the consequences would be disastrous. Utilitarianism also disagrees with it since the people, who are many, will not be happy with the rude intrusion in their homes. This exercise displays disrespect as the police barge into the homes of others just to conduct an experiment. There is a better way to get people to improve their alertness in reporting a crime. Social media reaches a great number of people since individuals spend plenty of time on their gadgets. Regular seminars and advertisements will also assist to reinforce the message to everybody rather than using the current setup to raise panic.

3-5 Faith, Medicine and Mandatory Cancer Treatment

It is morally impermissible for the parents to deny the cancer treatment for their son on religious grounds. Parents are the stewards of their children hence failure to ensure their health is a dereliction of duty according to deontologists. If it was to be done universally, many children would die out of this neglect. The kid could die from a curable condition and that goes against the empathy of virtue ethics. The outcome of this case only made the parents happy but everyone else wanted the hospital treatment hence the decision is also poor under utilitarianism as well.

3-6 Guilty Plea in Listeria Outbreak

Their decision is permissible since they did not have to plead guilty yet they chose to do the right thing despite the consequences. Under formalism, the decision is appropriate as it displays a sense of duty. Virtue ethics is associated with the individual character of the one who performs an action rather than duty and consequences. The brothers acted honestly by owning up to their mistakes in the guilty plea. Virtue ethics will consider it morally permissible since they display the right character traits and values.

Chapter 5

5-3 Prostitution: Simply a Business?

Morally permissible actions are those conducted without infringing on the welfare of other people (Harman, 2015). Fifi's decision is morally permissible since she is not harming anybody in the process. Secondly, she does it out of her own volition, considering she is a grown woman capable of thinking rationally. Bula's decision is impermissible since she was coerced using drugs against her own wishes. It is wrong and unethical to use undue influence to exploit other people.

5-4 24 and Depictions of Torture

The issue of moral permissibility is the decision to interrupt the program because it is affecting the training and reputation of US interrogators. If the military interfered with every film that depicted violence, there would be massive interruptions, which is unwanted. In deontology, the decision is morally impermissible. Utilitarianism is about the outcome whereby the program ceases to air. This decision will make the military and parents, who are many, happy by reducing the depictions of violence hence it is morally permissible. Virtue ethics also has it as permissible since the military does not want torture to be associated with successful interrogation practices.

5-5 No Junkmail Delivery

It is morally impermissible not to deliver the junk mail. Deontology ethics requires people to perform their duty and observe universal standards, which Padgett failed. If the decision was adopted universally, it would be a major problem for the industry. According to virtue ethics, his decision displayed dishonesty and unprofessionalism hence it was wrong. The consequences of not delivering the mail resulted in many people being unhappy, apart from the mailman hence it is an unethical choice under utilitarianism.

5-6 College Student Empathy Declining

The decline in empathy is due to the numbness that comes from viewing violent media repeatedly till it appears normal. According to deontology, it is wrong since a universal lack of remorse is a dangerous proposition. Under utilitarianism, the lack of empathy means that many people will be left feeling unhappy hence the trend is inappropriate. Virtue ethics requires individuals to display traits like sympathy, which ceases to be the case with the college students.

Chapter 8

8-1 Ethics of Sniping and Negotiating

It is morally permissible to lure the target since he had declined all attempts to surrender and continues to put his family at risk. Consequentialists will agree since killing him results in happiness for the police and the hostages. Virtue ethics is against lying and dishonesty but I will be doing it for a greater moral good of saving lives. Deontologists look at my action, which ends the hostage situation after shooting, and decides that I did the right thing.

8-2 Ethics and Mandatory Minimums

The decision to impose the mandatory minimum sentence is morally permissible according to duty ethics since the judge is acting according to book. Doing otherwise would be a contradiction of the constitution, which should not be adopted universally. Virtue ethics calls for sympathy but also requires accountability and honesty. It is permissible since the man knew he was handling drugs. When drug dealers go to prison, the society becomes safe and hence utilitarianism also finds the choice to be right.

8-3 Lawyer-Assisted Suicide

The lawyer is in a significant dilemma. His duty is to follow the wishes of his client to the letter (Eisenberg, 2001). He could do it and fail to appeal letting the inmate die on death row. This decision is permissible to form a deontology perspective since he is performing his duties as an attorney, which is the right thing. This action should be universal since it would mean all lawyers were performing their duties appropriately. Virtue ethics will consider it permissible since the lawyer is acting on the trust that the client places in his work and following instructions. The outcome of the inmate is certain death, which will make the state and society happy to have one less murderer. As an attorney, I will follow the recommendations of my client since it is the right thing to do as a professional. As a prisoner, I would prefer not to appeal since the odds of success are extremely slim.

8-4 Predisposed to Re-offend?

It is morally impermissible to punish people for crimes they have not committed. If it was adopted universally, such a decision would result in the needless suffering of many. In deontology, the right thing is to charge someone only when they are guilty. Virtue ethics is also against it since it is inhumane and unfair to predict what they will do in future.

8-5 An Affair, a Trial, and an Execution

It is morally impermissible for the judge to be romantically involved with the prosecutor while working on the same case. It opens up avenues for bias since the judge could be tempted to act impartially. The relationship becomes a liability since it interferes with the professional conduct of the two. The offender should be allowed to stand trial again under another judge or prosecutor but not two of them as it currently stands. It will give him a chance to put his claims of an unfair trial to rest.

8-6 Scared Straight Television Program

Airing a television program like that is unethical since it is an outright deception to the viewers. If research has shown that it has no advantages to the kids, the media house should discontinue it since it is doing more harm than good. It is not morally permissible since it is unethical to lie for financial gain. It is the company's duty to ensure that the content aired serves its purpose as advertised. Deontology ethics will disagree with a broadcaster that knowingly airs a counterproductive show.

References

Dobrin, A. (2012). 3 Approaches to Ethics: Principles, Outcomes, and Integrity. Psychology Today. Retrieved 21 April 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/am-i-right/201205/3-approaches-ethics-principles-outcomes-and-integrity

Eisenberg, R. (2001). The Lawyer 's Role When the Defendant Seeks Death. Capital Defense Journal, 14(1). Retrieved from https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1462&context=wlucdj

Harman, E. (2015). Morality Within the Realm of the Morally Permissible. Oxford Studies In Normative Ethics, Volume 5, 221-244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198744665.003.0011