Exploring Virtue On The College Campus Case Study

Exploring Virtue On The College Campus Case Studycase

Assignment 3: Exploring Virtue on the College Campus – Case Study Case Study: A young man meets a wonderful girl in his senior year in college. He believes this is the one that he might marry in the future. He is deeply in love with her. He has a problem. After leaving the constraints of parental authority at home, he went wild as a party animal at college.

He was very sexually active in his freshman and sophomore years at college. During that time, he caught genital herpes. (Hint: Think about the following: Were these acts virtuous and honest? To whom? Is the individual responsible for his actions?) His sister goes to the same college and is friends with her brother’s girlfriend as well as being close to her brother. She knows he has genital herpes.

She does not want to hurt him or the relationship but she wonders if she should tell her brother’s girlfriend about her brother’s condition. (Hint: Think about the following: What would be the virtuous and honest thing to do in your own mind? Does the sister have a different relationship and/or responsibility to the girlfriend than the brother? What is the overlap of these relationships? What is the responsibility of the sister to each? What consequences might be expected?

Are vices of lack and vices of excess evident?) Answer the following four questions in your assignment response. Please read all four questions before beginning. After you have finished answering the four questions, read the new development and answer question 5. Discuss the following case in terms of virtue, non-malfeasance, and honesty. Can you identify examples of each (or their opposites) in the case study as written?

Where and by whom? Explain your answers. Please do not get emotionally or personally involved with "finger pointing." Stay focused on virtue, non-malfeasance, and honesty. How should each person in the case (brother and sister) handle his or her situation moving forward? Explain how non-malfeasance and virtue come into play.

For example, what should the sister do and why? The brother? The girlfriend? In your answer, discuss the concepts of “no harm» and “honesty.” In your opinion, can virtues or moral values conflict with each other? Do non-malfeasance and honesty conflict?

Whether you answer yes or no, explain your answer. How can the concepts of “excellence” and the “golden mean” be applied to this case? What might it look like for each person in the case to act according to the golden mean? In your answer, discuss the relationship between excellence and the golden mean. In addition, consider the new development: the sister learns that her brother has decided not to tell his girlfriend until much later if they become serious and he has an outbreak. He also asks his sister to promise to keep his secret. (Hint: Think about what the sister should do now. How do virtue, non-malfeasance, and honesty come into play?) 5. Considering your answers in questions 1 - 4 above, consider how the “new development” might change your answers. What should the sister do now? Remember : address the questions from the position of virtue, non-malfeasance, and honesty, not from an emotional response.

Paper For Above instruction

The case study presents a complex ethical dilemma involving issues of virtue, honesty, and non-malfeasance within a college environment. It explores the responsibilities of individuals toward one another when health information is involved, emphasizing the importance of moral virtues in guiding ethical decision-making. This analysis will evaluate the actions and responsibilities of the brother, sister, and the potential partner from the perspectives of virtue ethics, non-malfeasance, and honesty while considering the implications of virtues of excess and deficiency, as well as the influence of the golden mean and the concept of excellence.

Introduction

Instances of moral dilemmas are frequent in college settings because young adults often navigate complex social, personal, and ethical issues for the first time. The case involving the brother with genital herpes, his sister’s knowledge, and potential disclosure to the girlfriend highlights critical questions about honesty, responsibility, and virtue. The central concern revolves around whether the sister should disclose her brother’s health condition and the ethical considerations underlying this decision.

Virtue, Honesty, and Non-Malfeasance in the Case Study

Virtue ethics emphasizes character traits such as honesty, courage, prudence, and justice. In this context, honesty entails full disclosure of truthful information about health status to prevent harm. The brother's prior actions of engaging in unprotected sex during his freshman and sophomore years could be judged as lacking prudence and responsibility—traits associated with vices of excess, such as recklessness. Conversely, refraining from disclosure to protect himself and maintain relationships might be considered an act of dishonesty or a vice of deficiency, as it involves withholding crucial information.

The sister’s dilemma involves balancing her loyalty to her brother against her concern for her sister-in-law-to-be. From a virtue perspective, honesty suggests that she should inform her brother’s girlfriend about her brother’s condition to prevent potential harm. The principle of non-malfeasance—"do no harm"—would strongly support disclosure to prevent the risk of transmitting herpes, which is a contagious and potentially serious condition. Failure to disclose could lead to harm, aligning with the principle of non-malfeasance.

However, the sister's desire to protect her brother’s feelings and relationship also reflects virtues of compassion and discretion, which might suggest withholding information temporarily. The balance between these virtues hinges on the context and the potential harm involved.

Conflicts Among Virtues and the Application of the Golden Mean

Virtues can sometimes conflict; for example, honesty versus compassion or discretion. The golden mean, as proposed by Aristotle, advises moderation between excess and deficiency. For the sister, acting with courage and honesty—disclosing her brother's health situation—would be a response close to the virtue of truthfulness, avoiding the vice of dishonesty. Conversely, withholding information to spare feelings could be seen as a deficiency in honesty but might reflect the virtue of compassion.

The concept of excellence, or arête, entails striving toward the virtuous mean in each situation. For the brother, exercising responsibility and prudence rather than recklessness exemplifies moral excellence. For the sister, demonstrating courage and integrity aligns with acting at the golden mean, neither revealing prematurely nor hiding facts unnecessarily.

Similarly, the concept of the golden mean encourages each individual to avoid vices of excess (recklessness, insensitivity) and vice of deficiency (indifference, deceit). Applying this to the case, the sister might find the virtuous course in gently and honestly informing her brother’s girlfriend at an appropriate time, thus embodying practical wisdom (phronesis).

The New Development and its Ethical Implications

The update reveals that the brother has decided to delay disclosure until symptoms appear and requests the sister to keep his secret. This development complicates the ethical landscape. Now, the sister faces an even more pressing moral question: should she break her promise to her brother and disclose the health information immediately, or honor his request and maintain confidentiality?

From a virtue ethics standpoint, the sister’s decision should be guided by practical wisdom—balancing her loyalty to her brother with her moral obligation to prevent harm. Honesty again takes precedence because withholding such information risks transmitting herpes, which can be serious and contagious. The virtue of fidelity to her brother’s trust conflicts with the broader virtue of beneficence—preventing harm to the girlfriend.

Non-malfeasance mandates that she acts to prevent harm, and therefore, her duty to disclose increases. Maintaining secrecy out of loyalty might align with virtues of fidelity but conflicts with the moral imperative of honesty and preventing harm. Respect for her brother’s autonomy suggests that she might advise him to be truthful when symptoms appear or when serious circumstances arise, rather than keeping silent indefinitely.

Thus, the "new development" shifts the ethical balance towards transparency and honesty, emphasizing that virtues of truthfulness and non-malfeasance should guide her actions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the complex ethical issues in this case reflect the interplay of virtues, honesty, and non-malfeasance. The responsible approach requires balancing these virtues within the framework of the golden mean, striving for moral excellence. The sister, by acting with courage and honesty, can prevent harm and uphold moral integrity. The brother’s responsibility is to communicate truthfully when appropriate, embodying prudence and responsibility. The girlfriend’s right to be informed underscores the importance of honesty in relationships. Ultimately, the case exemplifies how virtues and moral principles may sometimes conflict, but practical wisdom can guide ethical action toward the virtuous mean, promoting compassionate and morally sound decisions.

References

• Aristotle. (1999). Nicomachean Ethics (J. A. K. Thomson, Trans.). Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
• Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2013). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (7th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Corey, J. (n.d.). Section 5: The principles of beneficence and non-malfeasance. Key ethical and legal principles.
• Fletcher, R. (1994). Situation ethics: The new morality. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Gert, B., & Gert, J. (2016). The definition of morality. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 44(4), 319–351.
• Hippocrates. (1978). The Hippocratic Oath and Its Legacy: Variations on a Classical Theme. Oxford University Press.
• Kant, I. (1993). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (M. Gregor, Trans.). Cambridge University Press.
• MacIntyre, A. (2007). After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. University of Notre Dame Press.
• Ross, W. D. (1930). The Right and the Good. Oxford University Press.
• Taylor, C. (1989). Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity. Harvard University Press.