Ethics seminar. Ana Roque

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Agnes Bryant
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1 Ethics seminar Ana Roque

2 What is the point of having a seminar in ethics?

3 If I follow the teachings and values that have been passed on to me at home certainly I won t make any bad decisions which I might be ashamed of or feel bad about them...

4 myth: It s easy to be ethical

It s (not) easy to be ethical Ethical Decisions are simple - myth If you don t want to tell your mom what you re really doing... or read about it in the press, don t do it.

5 It s (not) easy to be ethical Ethical Decisions are simple - myth If you don t want to tell your mom what you re really doing... or read about it in the press, don t do it. Ethical Decisions are Complex in the most challenging ethical dilemma situations, the solutions provided by these approaches conflict with each other, and the decision maker is left with little clear guidance. Sometimes we dont see decision makers may not always recognize that they are facing a moral issue. Rarely do decisions come waving red flags that say, Hey, I m an ethical issue. Think about me in moral terms! Fonte: Managing to be ethical: Debunking five business ethics myths, Linda Klebe Treviño e Michael E. Brown 5

6 It s (not) easy to be ethical

7 It s (not) easy to be ethical On the train we always know where we are going; In a sailboat we need to take into account several variables and adjust

8 Heinz dilemma In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. the drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.

9 1. Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not? 2 Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal the drug? Why is it right or wrong? 3. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to steal the drug?why or why not? 4. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Does it make a difference in what Heinz should do whether or not he loves his wife? Why or why not? 5. Suppose the person dying is not his wife but a stranger. Should Heinz steal the drug for the stranger? Why or why not? 6. Suppose it's a pet animal he loves. should Heinz steal to save the pet animal? Why or why not? 7. Is it important for people to do everything they can to save another's life? Why or why not? 8. It is against the law for Heinz to steal. Does that make it morally wrong? Why or why not? 9. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the law? Why or why not?

10 15 minutes

11 1. Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not? 2 Is it actually right or wrong for him to steal the drug? Why is it right or wrong? 3. Does Heinz have a duty or obligation to steal the drug?why or why not? 4. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Does it make a difference in what Heinz should do whether or not he loves his wife? Why or why not? 5. Suppose the person dying is not his wife but a stranger. Should Heinz steal the drug for the stranger? Why or why not? 6. Suppose it's a pet animal he loves. should Heinz steal to save the pet animal? Why or why not? 7. Is it important for people to do everything they can to save another's life? Why or why not? 8. It is against the law for Heinz to steal. Does that make it morally wrong? Why or why not? 9. In general, should people try to do everything they can to obey the law? Why or why not?

12 Ethics and law Some of this practices were or still are in some country legal (but not ethical): Slavery; Poor working conditions Female discrimination; Tax heavens; Sexual orientation discrimination;

13 Ethics Dilemmas are not like Puzzles

14 It s not easy to be ethical

15 Personal Interest Laws and Rules Universal Values Avoid punishment Personal benefit Law and order Morality Common good Conscious based on values What kind of employees does a company want? Employees who know and follow the rules, but that at the same time are ready to identify the grey areas and deal with them and have maturity to change, revise or eventually not follow those rules, taking responsability for the consequnces.

16 Rules are short versions of values. They can be useful guides for simple things: to tell the truth, to keep your promises; but they don t help you to solve complex questions, like when to say the truth if that meands to be unloyal with a third party (namely a company). ( ) Rule are not in the last stage of knowledge, they re only the first Fonte: A Fable of Leadership Through Storytelling, Stephen Denning

17 Ethics are about decisions Responsability Does this mean that ethics are relative?

18 Are ethics something relative?

19 Are ethics something relative? Do you think tolerance is a virtue? What are its limitations? Can you think of an instance when being tolerant is not ethically ideal? How do organizations promote relativism? Is that okay? Do you believe there is a set of universal values importante to all people? If so, what are they? If not, why?

20 Diferent ways of thinking Some concepts related to culture and ethics Relativism - is the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles. It s a version of morality that advocates to each her own, and those who follow it say, Who am I to judge? Ethnocentrism - is the idea or practice of judging someone from another culture, or other cultures, only by the values of one s own culture

Diferent ways of thinking Some concepts related to culture and ethics pluralism is the idea that there can be conflicting moral views that are each worthy of respect.

21 Diferent ways of thinking Some concepts related to culture and ethics pluralism is the idea that there can be conflicting moral views that are each worthy of respect. Moral pluralists tend to be open-minded when faced with competing viewpoints. They analyze issues from several moral points of view before deciding and taking action. Moral pluralists believe that many moral issues are extremely complex. Thus, no single philosophical approach will always provide all the answers

22 If everithing is relative Nothing is your business; Everithing is alowd; There are no rules or it s ok to cross the line; You dont know what to expect from others; You are not responsable for the others, you dont have to care.

23 Pluralism Accept that people can have different values; Try not to be judgemental ( we are all somehow Ethnocentrists) accept and embrace diferences with limits (pain for exemple);

24 Diferent ways of thinking Some concepts related to culture and ethics />.

25 Case Study: Bullfighting

26 Discussion Questions: 1. How is the controversy over bullfighting related to relativism? 2. In what ways might ethnocentrism affect your perspective on bullfighting? How would your opinion differ if you were raised in A different culture?

27 Approaches to ethics Imagine you go to an ATM to withdraw 100 but the machine gives out a 200 note. The slip shows 100 was taken from your account but the note is 200

could be considered theft obedience to rules

someone else had made a mistake I'd return the

28 what would most people think and do? ego-centred ethics I'd keep the money because it was the bank's mistake. I would return the money, because if I did not it could be considered theft obedience to rules ethic of care I'd return the money because someone else had made a mistake I'd return the money because I'd think that's the honest thing to do. ethic of reason 4 different approaches to ethics

29 Approaches to ethics Ethics of Obedience what s right is following orders consequences are rewarded or punished external driver of behavior Ethics of Care what s right is what s best for all of us moral values of humility, love and fairness interactive driver of behavior (relationships) Roger Steare

30 Approaches to ethics Ethics of the Ego what s right is what s best for me... internal driver of behavior Ethics of Reason what s right is what I/we judge is right moral values of wisdom, self-control character and judgement personal integrity internal driver of behavior Roger Steare

31 To act you have to know yourself Take time to reflect on who you are and who you are trying to become. Harvard College Handbook for Students

The Kohlberg Dilemmas By Lawrence Kohlberg From Moral Judgment Interviews 1958

Name: Class: The Kohlberg Dilemmas By Lawrence Kohlberg From Moral Judgment Interviews 1958 Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987) was an American psychologist best known for his theory of the stages of moral development.