For more information
Call 1-800-351-0222

ETHICAL DECISION MAKING.
  Term Paper ID:29905 		Get This Paper Free! or
Essay Subject:
Discusses the need for goals & principles to shape human actions.... More...
7 Pages / 1575 Words
7 sources, 31 Citations, APA Format
$28.00

More Papers on This Topic


Paper Abstract:
Discusses the need for goals & principles to shape human actions. Impact on personal existence & life situations. Cites ideas of psycholigists & philosophical writers re: meaning in life (Civtor Frankl, M. Adler, K. Kitchener, P. Phenix, M. Velasquez). Quality of everday existence; authentic values, intellectual & moral virtues, ideals of democracy. Finding happiness by creating a value system.

Paper Introduction:
Ethical Decision Making In Life Situations Life Situations Every human being must have certain goals and principles that direct his or her life and shape his or her conduct (Phenix, 1961, p. 61). Phenix argues that every person needs an innate system of ideals and values in order to have a satisfactory way of life because the quality of our everyday existence depends upon the intensity, creativity, and persistence with which we pursue our personal goals and aims (Phenix, 1961, p. 61). Such intensity and creativity will be a result of the goals and values that we cherish. When we lack such a system, then our personal existence loses its zest and meaning, life seems stale and unprofitable, and personality breaks down for want of an integrating objective (Phenix, 1961, p. 61). Victor Fr

Text of the Paper:
The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper.


Our individual values arewhat we prize in life and they are contingent upon the doctrine of virtue(Adler, 1967, p. Thus, virtues are not values, but our virtueswill define our values. Our personal values may correspond with the virtues, but only if wepersonally prize the virtues (Adler, 1967, p. Frankl, V. 13). Victor Frankl notes that many philosophers have expounded on theultimate purpose of life. On the other hand, if one does not do good deeds, orexperience valuable moments, or suffer, then that person will not havemeaning and purpose in her life (Frankl, p. (1967). Velasquez, M. And our happiness is realized bydiscovering and valuing life's underlying intellectual and moral virtues(Adler, p. 15). In essence, each person must examine his or her system of beliefsaccording to Agathon's four basic virtues. According to Adler, human beings have the freewill to make choices that direct their voluntary behavior (1967, p. Man's Search for Meaning. According to Pieper,a doctrine of virtue is superior to a doctrine of commandments or dutiesbecause such lists are arbitrary and limited. 12(3), 43-55. 13). But for values to be authentic, we mustvalidate them in our everyday lives. Rather, it means treating everyone equally according to their"relevant differences" (Kitchener, 1984, p. And by exploring eachsituation in regards to these principles, Kitchener believes that a personcan come to an ethical understanding of the issues. Ethical Decision Making In Life Situations Life Situations Every human being must have certain goals and principles that directhis or her life and shape his or her conduct (Phenix, 1961, p. Autonomy addresses the concept of independence (Forester-Miller &Davis, 1996). Beneficence, on the other hand, isthe opposite concept. Kitchener's five principles are autonomy, beneficence,nonmaleficence, fidelity and justice (1984, p. Phenixargues that every person needs an innate system of ideals and values inorder to have a satisfactory way of life because the quality of oureveryday existence depends upon the intensity, creativity, and persistencewith which we pursue our personal goals and aims (Phenix, 1961, p. That is, rather than just seeking not to do harm, wemust in fact seek to do good. If we say that we value honesty, butwe lie, then we may aspire to be honest but we do not hold it as a value(Adler, 1967, p. Adler argued that we can only find true happiness by doing what isright. Eachperson can only find true happiness by leading a life that he or she findspersonally fulfilling. Their internalization is necessary for an ethical system ofvalues and, hence, true happiness. (1961). 15). (1996). References Adler, M. 61). 49). 13). 15). Kitchener, K. 13). Each of Kitchener'svalues is an "absolute truth" in and of itself. How we clarify the issues and theactions we decide to make based on such clarifications will be determinedby the values that we hold and, consequently, by the virtues to which wehave ascribed. This principle means that in every given situationwe must understand our own values and apply them to the context in whichthe situation has arisen. Hedenies that we are victims of fate or destiny. According to Frankl, meaningcan be achieved through doing a good deed, experiencing something of valueor by suffering. And what each person finds personally fulfillingwill depend upon his or her relationships with other people and the extentto which he or she acts with prudence, justice, bravery and temperance inthose relationships. "Practitioner's Guide toEthical Decision Making." American Counseling Association. But based on his own experiences, he determinedthat human beings have a will to create a meaning for their lives (Frankl,p. Determining what is right is based on our adoption of Agathon's fourbasic virtues. & Davis, T. However, asPhenix has argued, a lack of ethics can in fact lead to the self-destruction of an entire society. We must be conscious of ourvalue system and we must act in a way that validates that system. Ethical Decision Making Ethics is the study of human actions to determine whether they areright or wrong (Adler, 1967, p. Frankl's theory might seemsomewhat limited, but further exploration proves that his three tenetsunderlie all activities on which human beings seem to place significance.Most people do not act unless the action has some value to them. In order to approach a situation withjustice, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and fidelity or with honest,integrity and human dignity we must necessarily possess the underlyingvirtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. However, this should be distinguished fromsituational or "relative" ethics. Phenix, P. Ethical Decision Making in Life Situations Phenix contends that democracy has lost some of its power to inspireand direct because people are not guided internally by democratic ideals.Thus, even when such ideals are affirmed, they often appear to be dullplatitudes rather than energizing aspirations (Phenix, 1961, p. Thus, when exploring an ethical dilemma,we must examine each situation and determine how the four basic virtues andour own system of values based on those virtues may relate to thatparticular case. These virtues form the basis of all ethical guidelines advocated bystudents of ethics. This principle allows each individual the freedom of choiceand action, and addresses the responsibility of every person to encourageothers to make their own decisions and to act on their own values (Forester-Miller & Davis, 1996). He argues that such laws are self-evident and can easily be validatedby any individual. When peoplerefer to the principles or convictions that guide their behavior, they arein fact referring to their system of values. 63). So, the four basic virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude andtemperance. Notably, Velasquez's human laws arise from Agathon's fourbasic virtues. 63). In his ethical guidelines, Kitchener recognizes five basic principles,like Velasquez' human laws, that also arise from Agathon's four basicvirtues. 15). For example, Velasquez argues for the existence ofcertain principles or natural moral laws that cannot be broken (1982, p.22). Nonetheless, many people may consider ethical decision making to beonly relevant in professional situations where they can get intodifficulties or be punished for acting in an unethical manner. We really live what webelieve, and we demonstrate our beliefs by how we live. Hebelieves that each person's failure to internalize these ideals has led tofeelings of emptiness and despair despite an era characterized byunprecedented prosperity and power (Phenix, 1961, p. Most ethicists consider right actionsto be what should be done, and wrong actions are what should be avoided.Right actions bring happiness, while wrong actions lead to failure,destruction and despair. Fortitude means that wemust have the strength and the courage to face each situation squarely. 61). 49). (1982). P. Thedifficulty is in determining what are the values that will shape our lives. Education and the Common Good. 61).Such intensity and creativity will be a result of the goals and values thatwe cherish. 43). (1954). Nonmaleficence is the concept of not causing harm to others Forester-Miller, 1996). New York: HarperBrothers. 22). The conditions, circumstances and people who make upthe environment in which we live will influence our values. Basically, theyestablish that the four cardinal virtues will necessarily underlie anydecision that is made ethically. "Intuition, critical evaluation and ethicalprinciples: The foundation for ethical decisions in counseling psychology."Counseling Psychologist. Rather, we can choose ourfate by choosing whether we will do good or evil, i.e., whether we will doright or wrong. Thus, virtues are standards to practice. When we lack such a system, then our personal existence losesits zest and meaning, life seems stale and unprofitable, and personalitybreaks down for want of an integrating objective (Phenix, 1961, p. Kitchener's and Forester-Miller & Davis' explication of the fiveprinciples of ethical decision making as well as Velasquez's human lawsprove the significance of Agathon's doctrine of virtue. He does note,however, that these basic human laws can be affected or submerged by socialconditioning. 43). Prudence requires that we approach each situation rationally,weighing carefully the dangers and risks of each possible course of action.Justice does not mean treating all individuals the same (Kitchener, 1984,p. Democratic ideals of liberty and justice for all are in factbased on those four basic virtues, but only if each person in a democraticsociety adopts them as guiding values in his or her life and applies themto each situation in which they find themselves. 68). Notre Dame: Universityof Notre Dame Press. Such lists attempt to controlour actions instead of addressing the consciousness that directs ouractions. And although these values arenot necessarily regulated by the virtues, or good habits, Adler argues thatthey should be (1967, p. Wemust act in such a way that people have faith in our choices and decisions. Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases. A happy life, which means a life livedaccording to what is right, implies a life lived according to the fourbasic virtues. Thus, ethical decisionmaking in life situations is necessary for personal happiness as well associal health. However, he maintains that only by doing good, andconsequently "right," will we be happy. Andfinally, temperance means that we must moderate the application of each ofthe above virtues in each situation. 15. Finally, fidelityinvolves the notions of loyalty, faithfulness, and honoring commitments. Pieper calls the doctrine of virtue one of the great discoveries inthe history of man's self-understanding (1954, p. 13). Virtues underlie the values we adopt and the values we adoptwill control the way we live. But how does one create such meaning? A doctrine of virtue, on the other hand, speaks to the kind ofperson we are when we enter the world and the kind of person we shouldstrive to be through prudence, justice, bravery and temperance (Pieper,1954, p. 68). In other words, "above all do no harm." Basically, thisprinciple requires that we approach each situation with the idea of notinflicting intentional harm, and not engaging in actions that risk harmingothers (Forester-Miller & Davis, 1996). EnglewoodCliff: Prentice-Hall, Inc. The subsequent discussionwill reveal that these four basic virtues underlie all ethical guidelinesand principles. Kitchener, too, has identified five moral principles that are viewedas the cornerstone of all ethical decisions (1984, p. (1984). 68). We must be proactive and actively preventharm whenever possible (Forester-Miller & Davis, 1996). These virtues form a "doctrine of virtue," forwhich Agathon listed the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice,fortitude and temperance (Pieper, 1954, p. 13). He maintains thatthe principles of democracy can provide an answer to our modern predicamentbut only if we each commit ourselves personally to the fulfillment of thoseideals. 13). Adler defines virtues as the "interior goods of character andintellect that should regulate the way in which we conduct our lives"(1967, p. He believes thatthese five principles act as ethical guidelines that cannot address everysituation in which we find ourselves but which can help us to clarify theissues involved in a given situation. The Four Cardinal Virtues. Furthermore, he states that principles such as fairness,integrity, honesty, and human dignity are a part of human consciousnessthat exist in all human beings (Velasquez, 1982, p. The Difference of Man and the Difference It Makes.Fordham: Fordham University Press. Pieper, J. Internet:http://www.counseling.org/resources/pracguide.htm. 68). Forester-Miller, H. Each person has a system of values.Autonomy requires that we apply our own system of values consistently toeach decision that we make. Consequently, ouractions tell us whether we are practicing the virtues and they describe ourvalues to us (Adler, 1967, p. Thus, rather than a closed, limited doctrine such as thecommandments, the doctrine of virtue "open[s] a way" for the development ofhuman rightness (1954, p.

If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again:

Search for:

or

We can write a Custom Essay just for you.


Browse Essays by Subject