Chapter 6 Making Ethical Decisions

Jerry, Gamiesa, Chandra

Distinguishing right and wrong from ethical

dilemmas

It is important to be able to distinguish between right and wrong situations, and ethical dilemmas

black and white issues

Moral temptations Violation of law

there is a differentiation between laws that are fair and laws that are unfair

Departure from truth-lying

moral dilemmas

These are “right” versus “right” situations

Two moral values come into conflict, this is distinguished from a clear black and white issue.

Types of dilemmas

Truth versus loyalty

Individual versus community

Short-term versus long-term

Justice versus Mercy

Responsibility

Role conflicts

Types of dilemmas

Conflict of interest

Defining “best interest”

Dilemmas of policymaking

Personal morality

Democracy and obligation

Some pressures that create dilemmas

Competitive pressures relative to student achievement or test scores

Desire for approval of superiors and/or advancement

Free-speech traditions (or lack thereof)

Conflicting values in the workplace-personal values versus business values

Education’s Objective is Unique

“Educators must not lose sight of their long-term purposes of preparing students for life in the adult world of work and family and society.” (Page 94)

Because of this the ethical environment within education is different than it would be in the business.

How to deal with ethical dilemmas

The author offers some guidelines, but in the end suggests that the practitioners find their own way using their own systems of ethics.

Kidder interviewed moral leaders and came up with the following list of core values:Love, truth, fairness, freedom, unity,

tolerance, was possibility, respect for life

these approaches are subjective

Beckner asserts that these principles and codes and ideas that he presents about ethical behaviors are going to be interpreted differently by people.

Professional codes of ethics

There are several problems with professional codes of ethicsThere written in general terms and

application to specific situations requires ethical judgment

They are seldom revisedThe associations or groups that develop and

have little or no authorityFulfilling the obligations stated is often

beyond the ability or control of the educators

three types of value

Type I values: (METAPHYSICAL)These are often affiliated with religious or political systems, they are unverifiable by the techniques of science and cannot be justified by merely a logical argument

Type II values: judged to be the right as opposed to the good-the right is seen as proper or moral

Type III values: is the good rooted in the emotional structure and are grounded in the individual affecting constitute the individual’s preference structure

Summing up

The basic moral theories that we have discussed all fall under three basic headings

Ends-based thinking

Rules-based thinking

And care-based thinking

The bottom line appears to be that you have to figure it out for yourself