Consider The Ethical Dilemmas Below And Select One To 032782

Consider The Ethical Dilemmas Below And Select 1 In Which To Conduct A

Consider the ethical dilemmas below and select 1 in which to conduct a deep drill. Ethical Dilemma 1: A newspaper columnist signs a contract with a newspaper chain. Several months later, she is offered a position with another newspaper chain, offering a higher salary. Because she would prefer making more money, she notifies the first chain that she is breaking her contract. The courts will decide the legality of her action, but what of the morality? Did the columnist behave ethically? Ethical Dilemma 2: An airline pilot receives his regular medical checkup. The doctor discovers that he has developed a heart murmur. The pilot only has a month to go before he is eligible for retirement. The doctor knows this and wonders whether, under these unusual circumstances, she is justified in withholding information from the company regarding the pilot's condition. Ethical Dilemma 3: An office worker has had a record of frequent absence. He has used all his vacation and sick-leave days, and has frequently requested additional leave without pay. His supervisor and co-workers have expressed great frustration because his absenteeism has caused bottlenecks in paperwork, created low morale in the office, and required others to do his work in addition to their own. However, the individual believes he is entitled to take his earned time and additional time off without pay. Is he right? Ethical Dilemma 4: Rhonda enjoys socializing with fellow employees at work, but their discussions usually consist of gossiping about other people, including several of her friends. At first, Rhonda feels uncomfortable talking in this way about people she is close to; but then she decides it does no real harm, and she feels no remorse for joining in. In conjunction with the readings, decide which ethical dilemma you believe is most problematic and why, discuss the ideas of "good vs. evil," "wrong vs. right," and "ought/should be vs. what is." Form the readings; discuss the ways in which Augustine and Aquinas would have solved the problem based on lecture and course reading material. In what ways do Augustine and Aquinas differ and why? The report should be approximately 2 pages.

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The ethical dilemmas presented offer a profound exploration of morality, integrity, and personal responsibility within professional and social contexts. Among them, the dilemma involving Rhonda’s gossiping at work stands out as the most problematic due to its subtle yet potentially destructive impact on interpersonal relationships, workplace harmony, and personal integrity. This scenario encapsulates the tension between societal norms of conduct, personal judgments of harm, and the philosophical distinctions between what is and what ought to be, making it an ideal candidate for a deep ethical analysis informed by Augustine and Aquinas.

Rhonda’s participation in gossiping about colleagues, including friends, exemplifies a moral issue rooted in the violation of respect, honesty, and the pursuit of the common good. Initially, her discomfort suggests an intuitive awareness of ethical boundaries; however, her subsequent rationalization—believing that gossip does no real harm—reflects a common human tendency to justify morally questionable behavior. The heart of this dilemma hinges on the conflict between acting according to principles of truthfulness and respect versus succumbing to social pressures or comfort zone rationalizations. From an ethical standpoint, gossiping diminishes trust, damages reputations, and fosters a toxic environment, which contravenes basic moral virtues such as honesty, kindness, and justice.

In terms of philosophical concepts, this dilemma highlights the distinction between "what is"—the actual behavior of participating in gossip—and "what ought to be"—the moral obligation to promote respect and integrity in social interactions. The conflict between these is central to many ethical theories, particularly in the Aristotelian virtue ethics tradition, which emphasizes the development of character traits that lead to human flourishing through living morally upright lives. Augustine and Aquinas, drawing from Christian theology, offer nuanced approaches to these issues rooted in their understanding of human nature, morality, and divine law.

Augustine would likely interpret Rhonda’s behavior as a manifestation of the fallen human nature, driven by pride and the desire for social affirmation at the expense of moral virtue. He emphasizes the importance of inner conversion, humility, and aligning one's will with divine law to cultivate virtues such as truthfulness and charity. For Augustine, gossiping embodies the "lascivious" nature of the human heart, which distracts from spiritual growth and communion with God. Therefore, he would advise cultivating an inner discipline grounded in love and truth, emphasizing that genuine morality derives from divine grace, not merely external rules.

Aquinas, by contrast, would analyze Rhonda’s behavior through the lens of natural law and virtue ethics. He posits that human beings have an innate inclination toward the good, which moral actions should align with to fulfill human nature. For Aquinas, gossiping violates the virtues of charity and justice, as it harms others and undermines social harmony. He would argue that moral duty entails respecting the dignity of others through honest speech and promoting the common good, which includes fostering trust and harmony in the workplace. Aquinas emphasizes the importance of deliberate, rational judgment in moral decision-making, advocating for virtue as the path to moral excellence.

While both thinkers stress the importance of interior moral development, Augustine emphasizes divine grace and humility as the foundation of virtue, whereas Aquinas underscores rational understanding of natural law and deliberate virtue cultivation. Their differences stem from Augustine’s emphasis on the fallen human nature and the necessity of divine intervention to attain virtue, contrasted with Aquinas’s synthesis of faith and reason, which sees virtue as attainable through rational cognition aligned with divine law.

In conclusion, the gossiping dilemma reveals the complexity inherent in moral decision-making, where societal norms and personal inclinations often conflict with deeper moral principles. Understanding this through the perspectives of Augustine and Aquinas illuminates the importance of both divine grace and rational virtue in cultivating integrity and respect. Addressing such moral issues requires a combination of inner humility, love, and deliberate rational judgment—principles that continue to guide ethical conduct in contemporary society.

References

• Augustine. (2006). Confessions. Oxford University Press.
• Aquinas, T. (1999). Summa Theologica. Christian Classics Intellectual Society.
• Haldane, J. (2003). The Christian Virtues. HarperOne.
• MacIntyre, A. (2007). After Virtue. University of Notre Dame Press.
• Frankena, W. (1980). Ethics. Prentice-Hall.
• Aristotle. (2009). Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press.
• Crane, T. (2011). Religion and Rational Ethics. Routledge.
• Fletcher, R. (1966). Situation Ethics. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Swinton, J. (2018). The Sacredness of Human Life. Routledge.
• O’Donohue, P. (2015). Moral Philosophy. Routledge.