Lessons On Ethics

Lessons on Ethics

Author

Institution

Introduction

Taking stock of every progress that is made on the way is imperative in determining whether one’s academic journey is on course. Indeed, this involves the review of the knowledge that has been gained, as well as its applicability to real life situations. This is the only way that an individual would determine the worth of the academic journey, the course units, as well as the concepts, theories and knowledge that has been learnt in such courses. This paper is, essentially, an evaluation of the ethics course undertaken, the concepts learnt and their applicability in real life.

Analytical skill building

This comes as one of the most fundamental progresses that this course has allowed. Analytical skills refer to the capacity of an individual to visualize, articulate, as well as solve uncomplicated and complex problems and concepts, thereby making sensible decisions thereof on the basis of the available facts and information. This course has given me the capacity to apply logical thinking to the gathering and analysis of information, which essentially allows me to design and test varied solutions to problems, as well as formulate plans for the same.

This is especially with regard to the analysis of papers and information. This course involved the perusal of voluminous papers and literary works. A comprehensive understanding of such information required that I ask certain questions prior to getting the information. These include determining the information needed, the time allotted to the papers, what I need to know or even what I know already. Indeed, I am no longer embarrassed of asking the seemingly simple questions even as I allow the research me to the different directions. Considering the importance of such research, I never make assumptions as to the sufficiency of the time allocated, ease of finding the information or even the availability of similar information. Considering the high possibility of occurrence of mistakes and errors, I have learnt to cross reference research and information, as well as look deeper so as to determine the intrinsic or real value of information. This also allows for determination of the authenticity of the sources of information so as to determine what authority the authors of such information have to come up with credible information. The examination of issues such as factory farming necessitates the examination of statistics especially considering its impact on the health of individuals. Such an issue would necessitate a clear line of thought especially when examining the ethical side of it. This is the case for other issues that touch on ethics including euthanasia, abortion and death penalty and issues that touch on the confidentiality of patient information. The course has given me writing skills that would allow me to make a case for any side of the argument pertaining to these issues.

This may be evidenced by the improved quality of papers that I have written in the recent times. Not only are the papers made up of quality information, but also the sources used are credible and authoritative. On the same note, the information is always presented in such a way that the reader would be flowing with the papers rather than skimping though without a logical flow. This would essentially underline why I did not go straight to tackling the sections that are outlined in the instructions but rather gave the reader a soft landing through a carefully thought-out introduction.

Knowledge acquisition

While every course allows for the acquisition of varied skills, the implicit knowledge of the concepts, theories, perspectives and ideas in the course comes as the primary goal. Indeed, any course undertaking would be deemed unsuccessful if at the end of the day the individual did not grasp the fundamental concepts, ideas, perspectives and theories that are outlined in the course. In my case, I would say that I have at least grasped the general ideas of the concepts and perspectives brought out in the course. This is especially with regard to the theories of ethical decision-making, including utilitarianism, altruism, and egoism ethical theory of decision-making. In utilitarianism, an individual would determine the how appropriate a course of action is by examining the benefits and the costs with which it comes. In this regard, the varied options or potential solutions to a problem would be examined and their potential benefits and costs evaluated (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2009). These would then be compared amongst the varied potential solutions, with the one that has the most benefits against costs for the largest number of people being taken. This is irrespective of how unethical or “morally upright” the course of action may be. In this case, the theory states that no action is intrinsically wrong or right, rather this would be determined by the consequences as this theory aims at maximizing the utility of a particular course of action for the greatest number of people (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2009).

Altruism, on the other hand, is a practice where an individual is primarily concerned about other people’s welfare. This has nothing to do with duty or moral obligation that an individual has to other people, rather it revolves around some motivation for an individual to offer that is of value to another person rather than oneself (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2009). In its pure form, altruism would revolve around making a sacrifice for another person while expecting no benefits or compensation, whether direct or indirect.

Egoism, on the other hand, would be the opposite of altruism, as the individual would determine the best course of action by determining the course of action that would bring the greatest good, benefit and pleasure to oneself alone (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2009). In this case, the individual would primarily look at his own good and welfare irrespective of how bad the course of action is to another part.

The list of theories outlined here is simply not exhaustive especially considering the multiplicity of ethical principles described including beneficence, least harm, justice and respect for autonomy among others. These would go a long way in allowing for an analysis of decisions made and the basis for their making.

Practical application

The utility of any form of knowledge revolves around its applicability in real life situations and in tackling day-to-day issues. Indeed, this is the only way that any form of knowledge would be said to be beneficial to any individual. Indeed, the concepts and perspectives that have been examined in this course would go a long way in guiding my decision-making in my daily life. It goes without saying that every day comes with its own challenges and problems with numerous decisions and choices to be made. In most cases, there are conflicting solutions to the varied moral or ethical dilemmas that I come across. It is worth noting that in most cases, the application of the theories examined in the course is not absolute. In most cases, the decisions I make are not merely synchronized to one theory, rather they involve a combination of theories.

For instance, there was this one instances when my neighbor gave me some money and asked me to buy her some lottery tickets. She insisted that I should not mix those coins with mine and I should use those coins specifically to buy her tickets. I am not an ardent buyer of lottery tickets but this time round, I chose to buy some for myself alongside some for my neighbor. When the lottery hour came, I realized that my neighbor’s tickets had won some substantial amount. Of course, my neighbor wanted to know whether her cards had won any money, in which case I had to make a decision on whether to reply in the affirmative or not.

In this scenario, I had to combine varied theories in determining the most appropriate course of action. However, I happen to particularly like the utilitarian theory of ethics as it allows for a logical pattern of decision making. First, I am under an obligation to give out the winning card as the money that had bought it belonged to the neighbor. On the other hand, I had to consider the fact that I was in a financial rut and I could, in fact, do with some extra coins. On the same note, there was no relationship between the coins that she had given me and the tickets that I bought. In this regard, I could comfortably say that I was at liberty to make any decision. Nevertheless, I chose to tell her that they got mixed up, in which case I could not know which one was hers’ or mine. In this case, I would offer to split the money, thereby settling my financial issues and assuaging my conscience with regard to denying her what may be seen as her right. This means that both of us would be happy with the decision, and since the neighbor does not know whether it is her, she is bound to be fine with it.

This is simply one of the moral dilemmas where the ethical theories learnt in the course have been applied alongside other concepts.

References

Thiroux, J. P., & Krasemann, K. W (2009). Ethics: Theory and Practice 11/e VitalSource ebook for Kaplan University (1st ed). Pearson Learning Solutions.