Required Resources Read/ Textbook: Chapter 12LessonMinimum of 5 scholarly sources (This includes the sources from the annotated bibliography. Additional sources may be included as appropriate.)Instruc
ETHICAL DILEMMA
Name:
Institution:
Course Number:
Course Title:
Instructor’s Name:
Due Date:
Communal ethical factors
Each community has its own ethical factors that must be considered when evaluating the type of decisions made (Schulterbrandt & Nichols, 1972). Ethical decision making involves the following factors. The first is informed consent whereby one who takes part in a certain activity acts with full information regarding the benefits and consequences. For this case, the student understands that failing to attend lessons is against expectations but still goes ahead to miss classes.
The second factor is that the student takes part in sporting activities voluntary meaning that nobody forces him to miss lessons so that to take part in sports. They are free to quit sporting during class time as going to school and attending lessons is better for the student at that moment (MKhize, 2006). Another important factor is that the student does not cause harm to other people through his actions. Skipping classes to take part in sports only affects his academic career therefore it cannot be said to cause harm to others physically or psychologically around him.
However, if the teacher decides to report the student to the school administration, the student might go through psychological harm which might affect his performance both in sports and academics. No body forces the teacher to remain quiet or report the student which means that she has the freedom to determine what’s best for the student.
Kantian ethics
Kant pays attention to the consequences which accompany our actions by trying to answer whether the consequences really matter in our lives. He also states that no matter how good the consequences are, people cannot use it to justify their wrong actions. One’s intentions are key when evaluating ethical actions of the individual (O'Neill, 2013).
In terms of categorical imperative, clear commands are given on what is considered morally right or wrong. No matter how much impressive the outcome of an action will be, one is strictly expected to follow some rules despite of such an outcome. One is instructed on strict actions that should be adhered to. Example ‘you out to go to school every day’ or ‘You much respect the elderly.’ Considering the two examples, one is left with no choice but to follow the clearly stated guidelines.
For the case of the student, categorical imperative applies to assist the teacher to handle the student. According to the school rules, everyone ought to attend all necessary lessons regardless of their status or level of performance. John might be a good academic performer and also good in sporting activities. However, according to Kant, this two does not make him so special to operate break the rules that have been put in place to govern all other students. Therefore John ought to do the right thing at the right time just like all other students.
Annotated Bibliography
O'Neill, O. (2013). Acting on principle: An essay on Kantian ethics. Cambridge University Press.
‘Everyone has a moral obligation to act the rule which on which the king would admit of being adopted as a law for all rational beings (p.2). This is one of Kant’s saying which is aimed towards governing people’s behavior so that to influence them to perform right actions. There are several other critics of Kant’s theory who feel that the theories were meant to corrupt people’s way of thinking and also their ability to ask ethical questions. According to William who is one of Kant critics, people who make their duties a part of their central life become obsessed and reactive to other people’s wrong doing which often lead to blame (O'Neill, 2013). The book considers Kant’s perspective regarding what is right and what is ethically wrong. His counterparts look into life beyond paying all attention to work-life and remaining open to new ideas and thoughts.
This journal is important for my topic since it looks at the issue of whether the teacher should take an action or not. This first question that it will help me to answer is: is the teacher acting out of obsession of her work life or is she trying to help the student? According to the book, people who are committed to their work life often see mistakes and blame others. At the same time, there are actions that should govern an institution. Through the readings, I will be able to consider the two aspects.
Lo, B. (2009). Resolving ethical dilemmas: a guide for clinicians. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
The journal has been based on medical treatment and guidance procedures that are carried out on a patient. Ethics refers to standards that are considered to be either right or wrong. People base moral values on beliefs that cannot be proved but are simply considered as acceptable (p. 5). It is not possible to judge one’s quality of life accurately and without bias unless the individual decides to judge themselves according to what they have gone through (p.33). In some cases some patients who live with chronic diseases tend to cope with their current situation whereby some find new reasons to live a happier life. (Lo, 2009).
This journal is important for the teacher student ethical consideration as it helps in understanding what makes people to carry out some activities despite having an idea that it’s not the right thing to do. The student might have found happiness while playing at all-time including during class time. Alternatively, the student might be going through a tough situation and the only way to prevent himself from thinking about it is doing what they love most.
Pollock, J. M. (2016). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice. Cengage Learning.
This article is based on criminal justice whereby the law under the statue has been put in place so that to determine what’s right and wrong. However, an ethical analysis is required so that to assess more on whether an individual has committed a crime or not (Pollock, 2016). Legislators considers all angles on a crime that has been committed and after that, they determine the amount of charges that one should face for the crime (p.4). According to the law, principles have been set which help in differentiating the right from wrong. When ethical dilemmas arise, the principles are applied in determining the most appropriate action that should be taken (p.48).
The project is important for the question selected since it will clearly states how the dilemma can be handled. The school has a set of rules that draw a line on how all students should conduct themselves. Through the support from the law related material, it is more accurate to come into a conclusion despite of the fact that the consequences might result to a negative outcome towards the student who is currently doing well in his academics.
Robert, R., Kentish-Barnes, N., Boyer, A., Laurent, A., Azoulay, E., & Reignier, J. (2020). Ethical dilemmas due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Annals of intensive care, 10(1), 1-9.
Covid-19 presented unexpected events whereby the doctors were faced by ethical dilemmas regarding the most appropriate action that they should take. The most affected was the ICU section where they had to make a decision on who should be admitted and who should be left out (p.1). To solve this problem, healthcare facilities tuned into ensuring that there was transparency and fairness on how all patients were treated which was communicated to the patients’ relatives (Robert et al., 2020).
This journal is important for my topic as it states what one should do especially when dealing with many people. The teacher is responsible of controlling classroom discipline and incase some of the students feel that there was unequal treatment, they might react negatively affecting the entire classroom learning experience.
Wong, M. S., & Canagarajah, S. (Eds.). (2009). Christian and critical English language educators in dialogue: Pedagogical and ethical dilemmas. Routledge.
The journal is based on Christianity factors whereby some people follow Christianity but still adheres to some Muslim believes. Many Christians find themselves between believing that they know God and at other times they are not sure of what they know about God and therefore question whether they are Christians or not (p. 10). Zoltan explains that people exist briefly as self-aware organisms in a continuous dance of the universe. This is a topic that presents several aspects of ethical dilemma when it comes to religious believes (Wong & Canagarajah, 2009).
The journal will be important for my topic as it touches on a topic of religion which is highly connected to what the society considers to be right and wrong. By interacting what several scholars have researched through the journal, it is possible to determine the weight of the actions that the teacher will take against the student. It also draws a line between what’s right from what should be considered to be wrong.
References:
Lo, B. (2009). Resolving ethical dilemmas: a guide for clinicians. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
MKhize, N. (2006). Communal personhood and the principle of autonomy: The ethical challenges. CME: Your SA Journal of CPD, 24(1), 26-29. https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC63039
O'Neill, O. (2013). Acting on principle: An essay on Kantian ethics. Cambridge University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jftGAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Kantian+ethics&ots=4zwaVg6qI1&sig=a-b7eiZ2w87aEz-i4ByWz3A7-34
Pollock, J. M. (2016). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice. Cengage Learning.
Robert, R., Kentish-Barnes, N., Boyer, A., Laurent, A., Azoulay, E., & Reignier, J. (2020). Ethical dilemmas due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Annals of intensive care, 10(1), 1-9.
Schulterbrandt, J. G., & Nichols, E. J. (1972). Ethical and ideological problems for communal living: A caveat. Family Coordinator, 429-433. https://www.jstor.org/stable/582686
Wong, M. S., & Canagarajah, S. (Eds.). (2009). Christian and critical English language educators in dialogue: Pedagogical and ethical dilemmas. Routledge.
