They have suggested at least five different sources of ethical standards we should use. (The Utilitarian Approach), Which option best respects the rights of all who have a stake? A person of good character would be one who has attainted certain virtues. (Notice the duty-based approach says nothing about how easy or difficult it would be to carry out these maxims, only that it is our duty as rational creatures to do so.) Hence it is important to be familiar with all three frameworks and to understand how they relate to each other—where they may overlap, and where they may differ. Many philosophers and ethicists have helped us answer this critical question. What were the intended and unintended consequences? Gather all of the Relevant InformationBefore taking action, it is a good idea to make sure that you have gathered all of the pertinent information, and that all potential sources of information have been consulted. The more novel and difficult the ethical choice we face, the more we need to rely on discussion and dialogue with others about the dilemma. The duty-based approach, sometimes called deontological ethics, is most commonly associated with the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), although it had important precursors in earlier non-consquentialist, often explicitly religious, thinking of people like Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), who emphasized the importance of the personal will and intention (and of the omnipotent God who sees this interior mental state) to ethical decision making. Phone: 401-863-1000 Every customer is different, and some may even seem to change week-to-week. Bentham’s student, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) modified this system by making its standard for the good the more subjective concept of “happiness,” as opposed to the more materialist idea of “pleasure.”. Completing all of the readings is a luxury. For example, two people are walking down a hallway and see a third person drop their book bag, spilling all of their books and papers onto the floor. The Utilitarian Approach Some ethicists emphasize that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. Many religions promote ethical decision-making but do not always address the full range of ethical choices that we face. MAKING CHOICES: A FRAMEWORK FOR MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS. A person of good character would be one who has attainted certain virtues. Examples of Christian behavior are woven throughout Scripture. In a sense, we can say that ethics is all about making choices, and about providing reasons why we should make these choices. The Virtue Approach A very ancient approach to ethics is that ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain ideal virtues that provide for the full development of our humanity. Keep a range of first aid kits handy at home, in the car and at work. Obligatory: When we say something is ethically “obligatory” we mean that it is not only right to do it, but that it is wrong not to do it. Law can become ethically corrupt, as some totalitarian regimes have made it. By thoughtfully and carefully listening to his or her ugly and angry conclusions and eventually getting to the underlying facts, you’re now to the point where you can add your views. Would I change anything now that I have seen the consequences? The Utilitarian Approach Some ethicists emphasize that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. The following are important terms used in making moral judgments about particular actions. This framework for thinking ethically is the product of dialogue and debate in the seminar Making Choices:  Ethical Decisions at the Frontier of Global Science held at Brown University in the spring semester 2011. This approach stipulates that the best ethical action is that which protects the ethical rights of those who are affected by the action. Among the most important contributions of this approach is its foregrounding of the principle of care as a legitimately primary ethical concern, often in opposition to the seemingly cold and impersonal justice approach. Although it does allude to a relation(saying something of something) to realit… Utilitarianism can be traced back to the school of the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus of Samos (341-270 BCE), who argued that the best life is one that produces the least pain and distress. Many people are not religious, but ethics applies to everyone. On the other hand, it is not always possible to predict the consequences of an action, so some actions that are expected to produce good consequences might actually end up harming people. (The Rights Approach), Which option treats people equally or proportionately? Kant’s famous formula for discovering our ethical duty is known as the “categorical imperative.” It has a number of different versions, but Kant believed they all amounted to the same imperative. 3. Feelings provide important information for our ethical choices. This document is designed as an introduction to thinking ethically. Each of the approaches helps us determine what standards of behavior can be considered ethical. 2. They take this question atface value: there are truths, and the question to be answered concernst… Tables Lead You to the Right Approach. Would I change anything now that I have seen the consequences? FRAMEWORKS FOR ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING. Hence it is important to be familiar with all three frameworks and to understand how they relate to each other—where they may overlap, and where they may differ. But ethics provides reasons for how humans ought to act. You should be able to handle surprises, sense the customer’s mood and adapt accordingly. Vari Hall, Santa Clara University500 El Camino RealSanta Clara, CA 95053408-554-5319, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, The Ethics of Going Back to School in a Pandemic, Systemic Racism, Police Brutality, and the Killing of George Floyd, COVID-19: Ethics, Health and Moving Forward, The Ethical Implications of Mass Shootings, Political Speech in the Age of Social Media, Point/Counterpoint: Democratic Legitimacy, Brett Kavanaugh and the Ethics of the Supreme Court Confirmation Process, PDF - Framework for Ethical Decision Making. Bentham’s student, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) modified this system by making its standard for the good the more subjective concept of “happiness,” as opposed to the more materialist idea of “pleasure.”. We are practiced at making ethical judgments, just as we can be practiced at playing the piano, and can sit and play well “without thinking.” Nevertheless, it is not always advisable to follow our immediate intuitions, especially in particularly complicated or unfamiliar situations. Should you end up in a collision with an animal, first check to make sure that your passengers are okay. Sometimes what appears to be an ethical dispute is really a dispute about facts or concepts. We ask about what outcomes are desirable in a given situation, and consider ethical conduct to be whatever will achieve the best consequences. Also, it is often said that rights imply duties -- in particular, the duty to respect others' rights. What kind of person should I be (or try to be), and what will my actions show about my character? Additionally, people sometimes react negatively to the use of compromise which is an inherent part of this approach, and they recoil from the implication that the end justifies the means. This approach starts from the belief that humans have a dignity based on their human nature per se or on their ability to choose freely what they do with their lives. The most influential version of this approach today is found in the work of American philosopher John Rawls (1921-2002), who argued, along Kantian lines, that just ethical principles are those that would be chosen by free and rational people in an initial situation of equality. However, it should be noted that each framework has its limits: by focusing our attention on one set of features, other important features may be obscured. Law may have a difficult time designing or enforcing standards in some important areas, and may be slow to address new problems. We pay people more based on their harder work or the greater amount that they contribute to an organization, and say that is fair. (Notice the duty-based approach says nothing about how easy or difficult it would be to carry out these maxims, only that it is our duty as rational creatures to do so.) We may not agree on what constitutes the common good. There are numerous parallels between ethical egoism and laissez-faire economic theories, in which the pursuit of self-interest is seen as leading to the benefit of society, although the benefit of society is seen only as the fortunate byproduct of following individual self-interest, not its goal. We thus freely choose (we. Circling approaches are necessary for a variety of reasons. It relies on the Ethical Framework developed at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and the Ethical Framework developed by the Center for Ethical Deliberation at the University of Northern Colorado as well as the Ethical Frameworks for Academic Decision-Making on the Faculty Focus website which in turn relies upon Understanding Ethical Frameworks for E-Learning Decision-Making, December 1, 2008, Distance Education Report (find url). (The Justice Approach), Which option best serves the community as a whole, not just some members? It was last revised in May 2009. The purpose of science, then, is the Have I identified creative options? The argument here is over which facts argue for the morality of a particular action, not simply over the morality of particular principles. Communicative language teaching (CLT), or the communicative approach, is an approach to language teaching that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of study.. We have found the following framework for ethical decision making a useful method for exploring ethical dilemmas and identifying ethical courses of action. This approach is … Kant argued that doing what is right is not about the consequences of our actions (something over which we ultimately have no control) but about having the proper intention in performing the action. Consequentialist Theories: The Utilitarian Approach Utilitarianism can be traced back to the school of the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus of Samos (341-270 BCE), who argued that the best life is one that produces the least pain and distress. Agent-centered Theories: The Virtue Approach One long-standing ethical principle argues that ethical actions should be consistent with ideal human virtues. The theory of disruptive innovation, introduced in these pages in 1995, has proved to be a powerful way of thinking about innovation-driven growth. Act Many ethical situations are uncomfortable because we can never have all of the information. 2. These virtues are dispositions and habits that enable us to act according to the highest potential of our character and on behalf of values like truth and beauty. Because God is seen as omnipotent and possessed of free will, God could change what is now considered ethical, and God is not bound by any standard of right or wrong short of logical contradiction. Social and natural science can provide important data to help us make better ethical choices. These types of actions are seen as going “above and beyond the call of duty.”  They are right to do, but it is not wrong not to do them. The utilitarian approach deals with consequences; it tries both to increase the good done and to reduce the harm done. There were a number of views of truth under discussion atthat time, the most significant for the contemporary literature beingthe correspondence, coherence, and pragmatist theories of truth. The Fairness Approach maintains that everyone should be treated equally, or at least experience the same level of unfairness. In the Duty framework, we focus on the duties and obligations that we have in a given situation, and consider what ethical obligations we have and what things we should never do. Some people have highly developed habits that make them feel bad when they do something wrong, but many people feel good even though they are doing something wrong. Among the advantages of this ethical framework is that focusing on the results of an action is a pragmatic approach. The field of ethics is traditionally divided into three areas: 1.) This framework for thinking ethically is the product of dialogue and debate at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Simply stated, ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves-as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on. The argument here is over which facts argue for the morality of a particular action, not simply over the morality of particular principles.

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