ige 101 - truth and service for holistic living 1 september 2011

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IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

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IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011. How Good People Make Tough Choices. By Rushworth M. Kidder (1995) Introduction to ethical conflicts and their resolution. Review. We all have tough choices to make– between right and wrong = moral temptations - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic

Living

1 September 2011

Page 2: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

How Good People Make Tough Choices

By Rushworth M. Kidder (1995)

Introduction to ethical conflicts and their resolution.

Page 3: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

ReviewWe all have tough choices to make–

between right and wrong = moral temptations

and between right and right = ethical dilemmas

Goal: develop ethical fitness

‘well-tuned conscience, lively perception of right and wrong, ability to choose right’

* think deeply, care for people and for what is right

Page 4: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Universals and Core Values

Universals: 1. against murder, 2. against incest, 3. kindness and regard for others and rights is universally approved 4. truth 5. restitution and reciprocity

Values – Goals – Plans – Tactics (Values-Tactics ladder): easier agreement at values level

Eg. school value of honesty – people agree it’s good

Goal– reduce cheating – some disagreement—other more important goals

Plan – get tough on cheaters – less agreement

Tactics – fail everything, kick out of school – less agreement

Page 5: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Ethical DilemmasRight vs right are genuine dilemmas because each side is rooted in a basic, core value

And you can’t pick both

Four common dilemmas:

Truth vs Loyalty

Individual vs Community

Short-term vs Long-term

Justice vs Mercy

Page 6: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Resolution PrinciplesDo what’s best for the greatest number of people (ends-based thinking)

Follow your highest principle (rule-based thinking)

Do what you want others to do to you (care-based thinking)

Other principles may also be considered; these are most common

Page 7: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Ends-based thinking

Consider the greatest good for the greatest number

Also called UTILITARIANISM

Try to assess the consequences or ends of our actions

Used a lot in public policy sphere

Weaknesses: can’t predict all consequences; and what is the greatest good?

Page 8: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Rule-based thinkingAct on highest sense of inner conscience

Associated with Kant and the categorical imperative

Could our action be made into a universal principle of action? i.e. if everyone did it what would happen?

Not so concerned with consequences but with moral principles

Weaknesses: doesn’t allow for unique situations—becomes too strict – and not so helpful when more than one principle is in conflict

Page 9: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Care-based thinkingThe Golden Rule: put yourself in others’ shoes

Jesus: Whatever you want others to do to you, do to them; in this way you fulfill all the law.

Talmud: That which you hold as detestable do not do to your neighbor

Quran: None of you is a believer if he does not desire for his brother that which he desires for himself.

Confucius: Here certainly is the golden maxim: Do not do to others than which we do not want them to do to us.

Page 10: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Care-based thinkingAlso found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and other major religions

Principle of reversibility: test the rightness or wrongness of an action by imagining yourself as the object of the actions

Sets limits on our actions and helps us promote the best interests of others

Weaknesses: too simplistic; no actual principles for action e.g. what if both parties want immoral things (bribing?); and not helpful when many people involved—in whose shoes?

Page 11: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Apply the principlesTrooper story: driver in truck pinned into cab about to explode, begging to be shot by trooper

Short-term vs long-term dilemma? Relieve suffering in short-term; preserve life in long-term: never kill

Justice vs mercy? Mercy – put out of misery; justice– don’t kill

Ends-based: best for the most: is the most one? Or two? Or society as a whole? If just driver—best to kill? If try to save, maybe both die? Or don’t kill because that rule helps most in society (rule utilitarianism)

Page 12: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Apply the principlesTrooper story: driver in truck pinned into cab about to explode, begging to be shot by trooper

Rule-based: can’t predict what is going to happen for sure; so stick to best principle for every trooper in all time in this situation—don’t kill

(ends-based thinker sees that as causing unnecessary suffering)

Rule-based: what if trooper killed him, then fire truck shows up and puts out the fire?

Care-based: put out of mercy? Always do what the person wants? What about drowning swimmers?

Page 13: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Apply the principlesTrooper story: driver in truck pinned into cab about to explode, begging to be shot by trooper

What looked like a dilemma became a TRI-lemma: a third way emerged: the trooper took time – gun in and out of holster

RESOLUTION process can give us time to find a way through the situation to a new and unseen possibility

Trooper obliged to obey law: do not kill; but ethics also involved; not just the law: acting ethically is obeying the unenforceable

Page 14: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-makingNot a checklist, but understanding the underlying process.

1. Recognize that there is a moral issue.

A. what are the issues?

B. are they really moral or just cultural or manners?

2. Determine the actor– whose moral issue is it?

not involvement – everyone involved. Who is responsible?

Who is morally obligated and empowered to do something?

(not stakeholders – automatically a utilitarian approach)

Page 15: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

3. Gather the relevant facts: how did events unfold, who knew what when, who did what when, etc.; and what is future potential?

4. Test for right vs wrong issues:

4 tests: legal, stench, front-page, mom

Page 16: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

4. Test for right vs wrong issues:

a. legal test: is what happened illegal? Then issue of right and wrong. (except civil disobedience—prepared to accept consequences)

b. Stench test: intuitively have gut sense it is wrong

c. Front-page test: if what you are going to do was in news tomorrow, would you still want to do it? If not, don’t.

d. Mom test: if I were my mom, would I do this? (moral exemplar whom you care deeply about)

Page 17: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

4. Test for right vs wrong issues:

a. legal test: is what happened illegal? Then issue of right and wrong. (except civil disobedience—prepared to accept consequences)

b. Stench test: intuitively have gut sense it is wrong

c. Front-page test: if what you are going to do was in news tomorrow, would you still want to do it? If not, don’t.

d. Mom test: if I were my mom, would I do this? (moral exemplar whom you care deeply about)

Page 18: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

4. Test for right vs wrong issues:

Legal, stench, front-page, mom

If wrong, don’t do it.

5. Test for right vs right paradigms

Which type of dilemma is it: truth/loyalty, long-term/short-term, community/individual, justice/mercy

Helps make sure that it is truly a dilemma. If can’t find one of these, maybe a right/wrong issue.

Page 19: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

6. Apply the resolution principles:

ends-based, rules-based, care-based

not decide on vote, 2 to 1, but think carefully through the situation and the issues to find what you think is best

7. Investigate the “trilemma” options: is there a third way?

compromise? Creativity?

8. Make the decision: need moral courage—take responsibility to do what you think is best.

Page 20: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

9. Revisit and reflect on the decision: after the heat of the moment and whatever happened; look at the whole thing again to see what you can learn– what you might have missed, done differently, etc.

Brief note on brain structure and moral decision-making: pre-frontal cortex: integrates brain stem, limbic system, perceptual areas: “it shapes our bodily processes, oversees brainstem activity, enables us to pause before we act, have insight and empathy, and enact moral judgments” Mindsight by Siegel

Page 21: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

1958 Space Race between USA and Soviet Union

28 year old engineer, Ted Gordon, given job of writing countdown for launches and be conductor of tests of Thor rockets

300,000 parts had to function perfectly at the right time, hundreds of actions by hundreds of people

Everything checked and double-checked

Read pp 179-180

Page 22: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

1. Moral issue? yes, something wrong done; needs restitution

2. Actor? Gordon, he was responsible to make the decision

3. Facts? mechanic definitely to blame—not a slip on grease someone else left or mechanical failure

4. Not right vs wrong: no legal requirement to fire; no stench, no frontpage, no mom issue – right vs. right

5. Seems to be justice vs mercy dilemma: colleagues want justice; Gordon chose mercy

Page 23: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Nine Checkpoints for ethical decision-making

6. Gordon used ends-based resolution rule: consequences for the mechanic– how he would behave in the future

Not care-based (how he would want to be treated) nor rule-based (potential danger means firing is appropriate)

7. Trilemma: Gordon went for one side-- mercy ; could have gone for trilemma: kept him on and penalized him severely

8. Decision made: kept employee, gave greater responsibility

9. Revisited by Gordon – key part of his life story; mechanic? probably

Page 24: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Ethical DilemmasKidder’s picks (all things being equal):

TRUTH vs Loyalty – humans & groups less trustworthy than principles

Individual vs COMMUNITY- individualism and rights causing damage; lost value of community and responsibility; and community includes individuals—not other way

Short-term vs LONG-TERM- long-term includes short term

Justice vs MERCY- can imagine world so full of love that justice not necessary, but not vice versa

Page 25: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Schedule for rest of termQuiz on Thursday, September 8: Religion for Peace, Willard, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism

Finish the religions next week: September 6 & 8

Personal Plan for Payap Time and Habits Practice Reflection paper due: Sept 8

Page 26: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Schedule for rest of termQuiz on September 13: Islam, Judaism, Kidder

Group project presentations: September 13, 15, 20

Individual reflection on group paper due Sept 22

Final wrap up and final exam preparation: Sept 22

Page 27: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Hope you make it to the finish line!!!

joe-ks.com

Page 28: IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic Living 1 September 2011

Rubrics on the blog this weekend!

Hope your projects are going well.