IGE 101 - Truth and Service for Holistic

Living

30 August 2011

How Good People Make Tough Choices

By Rushworth M. Kidder (1995)

Introduction to ethical conflicts and their resolution.

Introduction

Growing crisis of morality/ethics in the world. (chapters 1 & 2 of Kidder!) studies show decline in morality

Moral temptation: choice between right and wrong;

with temptation to do wrong

Ethical dilemma: choice between right and right;

and can’t do both

IntroductionWe all have tough choices to make.

Right to honor women’s decisions affecting her body and right to protect lives of unborn

Right to take family on a much needed vacation and right to save money for children’s education

Right to bench star player caught drinking before championship game and right to field best team for the game

Right to support creative freedom of photography exhibitor and to uphold community desire for no pornography or racism

IntroductionWe all have tough choices to make.

Sometimes just worry OR just make a choice without trying to get it right.

Kidder’s book for people who want to reflect and make good choices in tough situations.

Goal: develop ethical fitness (story on p 57-58)

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

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

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

Ethical Relativism and “mother’s uncle” syndrome: exceptions do not disprove the rule

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

Payap University Core Values: 5 principles for ministry

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

Truth vs LoyaltyTRUTH: honesty, integrity, conformity to facts or reality (depends on knowledge); objective: must be accurate, complete, relevant; lies are statements that mislead

LOYALTY: commitment, responsibility, promise-keeping, allegiance to a person, government or set of ideas; subjective: attachment to one’s cause—monetary, emotional, tribal, political, intellectual

Dilemma in objective vs subjective dimension: character vs allegiance; truth-telling promotes trust; object of loyalty is important

Truth vs Loyalty

Can you think of a situation where you have to choose between being truthful or loyal?

You have a good friend named Hal. One day you hear Hal has been fired from his job. He took a lot of unwarranted risks with the company’s money and then tried to lie about it. It was investigated and he eventually admitted guilt and was fired. Hal asks you to write a letter of reference to work at a Bank.

What do you do?

Truth vs Loyalty

Truth compels you to describe Hal as financially risky and irresponsible—which would hurt him from ever getting another job in a financial institution.

Loyalty urges you to focus on the many other strong characteristics that you know about Hal and to downplay the financial issues.

Both are right and you can’t do both.

What do you do?

Individual vs CommunityINDIVIDUAL: Us, self, smaller group within group, inner self

COMMUNITY: Them, others, larger group, community

Dilemma seen through space or scale (counting): individualism: pursuit of self-interest leads to the common good. Gardner, On Leadership, Good community has a healthy balance between indiv and group obligations. Wholeness incorporating diversity, a shared culture, good internal commjunication, caring trust and teamwork, group maintenance and government, participation and sharing of leadership tasks, development of young people, links with the outside world

Individual vs CommunityYou and your friend George were captured by the Nazis. You are interrogated and tortured but you don’t know any information so you are let back into the jail cell. In the jail cell, George tells you that he knows all the secrets of your military including where the base camps are, which have hundreds of hiding soldiers. George tells you that he has very low tolerance for pain and will definitely tell the Nazis where the camp is if he is tortured. He asks you to kill him before he goes for interrogation.

Saving the life of your friend is right; and saving the lives of many soldiers is right. And you can’t do both. What do you do?

Short-term vs Long-termSHORT-TERM: now, immediate needs or desires, econ/business = short-term profits, consumption, self-realization, transaction mentality, use natural resources

LONG-TERM: then, future goals or prospects, strategic research and development; investment, production, self-control, long-term relationships mentality, conserve environment

Dilemma seen through TIME (counting): deep roots in theology and religion: actions now have long-term consequences; Churchill: putting milk in babies now is best investment

Short-term vs Long-termJessica was a hard-working business woman with 3 children. Her family had moved around a lot over the years but was getting settled into their current city. They had lived there for 2 years and finally felt like they had a home. The next week Jessica got a very good job offer from a big business that would increase her salary by almost double. However, she and her family would have to move.

The short-term benefits of staying in their current city and rejecting the job offer seemed good. However, the longer term benefits of paying for her children’s university education and other future benefits of more money were also very good.

You can’t do both. What do you do?

Justice vs MercyJUSTICE: fairness, equity, even-handed application of the law, stick to principles, people get what they deserve. Rawls: just society ‘the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interests. (p 141)

MERCY: compassion, empathy, love, attend to individual and unique needs, seek benevolence in every way, love without condition or restriction; R Niebuhr: ‘forgiving love’ takes precedence over ‘tolerable harmonies’ of justice (p 141)

Dilemma around Order/organization, wholeness vs exception

Justice vs MercyPla is pregnant and all of a sudden begins to go into labor. However, she is not ready and the hospital is an hour away. She and her husband, Somchai, get into the care and begin speeding at 160 kph down the long road towards the hospital (Individual vs Community?). A policeman sees them and pulls them over. He saw the situation and then escorted them to the hospital. However, afterwards he was unsure what he should do. Somchai had driven at highly dangerous speed and taking the law into his own hands. Would it be fair to NOT punch someone who was speeding? The policeman would have given a ticket to someone else if they were driving that fast. What if Somchai had accidentally hit a child who ran into the road?

Justice vs Mercy

Somchai was trying to help his pregnant wife which makes the policeman want to give him mercy.

But everything in the legal structure—fairness, protecting other citizens on the road, obligation to enforce standards– makes the policeman want to do justice.

What should he do?

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– knowing help us analyze dilemmas

Truth vs Loyalty

Individual vs Community

Short-term vs Long-term

Justice vs Mercy

What is an example of a right vs right situation in your life?

HOMEWORK

Bring an example of a right vs right situation in your life written out to class on Thursday.

Will use as we look at the resolution principles.

EVERY GROUP email me answers to religions grid by this Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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

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

Hope you make it to the finish line!!!

joe-ks.com

Religions grids due Wednesday – email 7 pm

Bring a dilemma to class Thursday

See You Then!