Week 2: Ethics Flashcards
Why both ethical and unethical decisions get
made in the workplace;
- pressures to perform
- rewards and punishment
- peer pressure
Explain unethical behaviour
Ethical distance
• Moral conscience diluted by psychological distance
Diffused Responsibility
• No single individual responsible in a group/team
• ‘Group think’ shared decisions
• Obscured by hierarchies
Rationalisation of unethical behaviour
• ‘Everyone’s doing it’
• People are more likely to recognise acts as unethical if there is
a social consensus.
What is the concept of neutralisation?
A term used to explain behaviour that is at odds with an
individual’s preferred option or is incongruent with accepted
social norms.
Typical examples might be:
• Delinquent behaviour
• The moral injunction of killing does not apply in war
• Consumer choices at the supermarket
What are the 5 universal approaches to consider when making ethical decisions?
Utilitarian approach - what benefits and what harms will each course of action produce, and which alternative will lead to the best overall consequences?
This question answers the dilemma of which option will produce the greatest benefits and least harm
Rights approach - what moral rights do the affect parties have, and which course of action best represents those rights?
The rights approach follows the belied that individuals have the ability to make their decisions freely. It believes that I the act does not respect everyone’s moral rights, it is wrong to act.
Fairness/justice approach - Which course of action treats everyone the same, except where there is a morally justifiable reason not to, and does not show favouritism or discrimination?
This approach gives the individual the opportunity to reflect if the action is fair to the people
Common good approach - which course of action advances the common good?
This question helps drive our choice to decide if the action taken will be good for ourselves and the community. It opens the door to other questions related to the type of society we want to become and how achieve that
Virtue Approach - which course of action develops moral virtues?
Each of us holds internal values and morals that we strive to maintain and hold onto. This question reflects what kind of person you should be and what it will do to your character
what is moral absolutism
particular actions are
intrinsically right or wrong & there is at least one
principle that ought never to be violated
what is objectivism
what is right or wrong is independent of custom or opinion
but not necessarily independent of context or
consequences [there is a fact of the matter as to
whether any given action is morally permissible
or impermissible: a fact of the matter that does
not depend solely on social custom or individual
acceptance
what is moral intent
is the desire to act ethically when facing a decision and overcome the rationalisation to not be ethical ‘this time’
What us pluralism
Middle ground between moral absolutism and relativism
What are two factors that influence ethical decision making?
- individual factors - unique characteristics of
the individual actually making the relevant
decision. e.g. age, education, culture - Situational factors: The particular features of the
context that influence whether the individual will
make an ethical or unethical decision.
the intensity of the issue
What are five categories of neutralisation?
- Denial of responsibility – “its not my fault”
- Denial of injury or benefit – “what’s the big deal?”
- Denial of victim – “its their fault”
- Condemning the condemners – “it’s a joke after what they’ve
done” - Appeal to higher authorities – “I did it for you”
What is deontology?
suggests actions are good or bad according to a clear set of rules
What is deontology?
Asserts that moral choices should be made following certain rules
These rules must be followed:
1. Whatever the situation 2. In every similar situation 3. Regardless of consequences
Whether or not this results in the greatest overall good
• Explicit is the notion of individual RIGHTS
• These rights can form to be followed , example: always tell the truth
• These rights are often enshrined in laws or professional codes
HOWEVER choosing a rule that is applicable in every situation can be very difficult and as there is no room for exceptions to the rules, deontology is often considered too rigid.
What is utilitarianism?
The greatest good for the greatest number
• Where a good outcome is not possible HARM should be minimised (choosing the ‘lesser of two evils’)
• Essentially involved weighing up the costs and benefits of different courses of actions
• Fundamentally, the expected consequences of any choice must be considered
• Several problems associated with this theory: 1. Disagreement on what is harm and what is benefit 2. Comparing items of different 'currency' e.g. pain, money, prolonged life, academic advancement 3. Difficult sometimes (often) to predict outcomes of actions 4. Individual right are minimally considered 5. Theory may be skewed/ abused by biased person/s - underestimated costs &.or exaggerate benefits
what are 4 guiding principles to medical ethics?
Non-maleficence - the principle of not doing harm
- Often harm inflicted in short term veterinary practice to produce long-term benefit.
- Short-term suffering for long-term benefit is allowable but every effort should be made to provide pain relief.
Beneficence - to promote good
- Aim to improve welfare of animals under the care of a veterinarian in the short and long term
- Is usually combined with non-maleficence to determine the ‘best interest’ of an animal
Autonomy - to be self-governing
- Conflicts often arise in practice between client and vet e.g. two autonomous people
- Respecting the autonomy of an animal is more difficult to define but may involve allowing choice by the animal e.g. when to eat and sleep
Justice - treating all animals and people in a fair and equal way
The needs of all animals should be considered equally (and may vary with individuals even within the same species)
What are key steps in making ethical desicions?
- Identifying possible courses of action
- Consideration of all interested parties
- Formulating an ethical decision
- Minimising the impact of ethical decisions (can be negative, minimise the negative outcome)
