Cordelia Williams Ethical Choice
What is Ethical Choice?
Deijdra L. Moore
Columbia Southern University
What is an ethical choice? Well, put yourself in the shoes of “Cordelia Williams.” Cordelia is a young teenaged single mother in high school. Her life at this point is an everyday struggle. Living under her mother’s roof, who as well is a struggling single parent caring for Cordelia’s two younger siblings on a minimum wage salary working at the local market. One day on her way home from school, Cordelia stops at the local market where her mother works to pick up some diapers for her small baby. As she is standing in line to check out, she notices a man dressed up and looking sharp in a fresh Armani tailored suit a head of her checking out as well. She later …show more content…
I mean the man was sharply dressed and drove Bentley. He certainly could afford to lose the wallet. But in the same instance it isn’t fair to the man, regardless of his financial situation. Technically, she’d be stealing right? In this situation, what would you do? Ethical dilemmas are the result of conflicts between potential benefits or harms for two or more competing interests (Michael Kalichman Ph.D). In similar scenarios like this one, a person is torn when confronted with such choices. A good willed individual may choose either to turn in the wallet or to keep the money depending on the ethical perspective which alludes to the ethical question. Harvard psychologist Carol Gilligan believes that some people base ethical decisions on principles of justice, equality, impartiality, and rights. This is what some may refer to as the justice perspective. Whereas Kalichman believes ethical decision-making implies a responsibility to identify those interests, harms, and benefits. This is based off a decision on a care perspective. Meaning, the individual has the need to preserve his/her relationship and minimize the hurt which takes precedence over considerations of what is just and right. In most situations, individuals tend to make their ethical choices based on one or the other ethical perspectives, even if they are aware of both possibilities. Gilligan admits, however, that both perspectives
Deijdra L. Moore
Columbia Southern University
What is an ethical choice? Well, put yourself in the shoes of “Cordelia Williams.” Cordelia is a young teenaged single mother in high school. Her life at this point is an everyday struggle. Living under her mother’s roof, who as well is a struggling single parent caring for Cordelia’s two younger siblings on a minimum wage salary working at the local market. One day on her way home from school, Cordelia stops at the local market where her mother works to pick up some diapers for her small baby. As she is standing in line to check out, she notices a man dressed up and looking sharp in a fresh Armani tailored suit a head of her checking out as well. She later …show more content…
I mean the man was sharply dressed and drove Bentley. He certainly could afford to lose the wallet. But in the same instance it isn’t fair to the man, regardless of his financial situation. Technically, she’d be stealing right? In this situation, what would you do? Ethical dilemmas are the result of conflicts between potential benefits or harms for two or more competing interests (Michael Kalichman Ph.D). In similar scenarios like this one, a person is torn when confronted with such choices. A good willed individual may choose either to turn in the wallet or to keep the money depending on the ethical perspective which alludes to the ethical question. Harvard psychologist Carol Gilligan believes that some people base ethical decisions on principles of justice, equality, impartiality, and rights. This is what some may refer to as the justice perspective. Whereas Kalichman believes ethical decision-making implies a responsibility to identify those interests, harms, and benefits. This is based off a decision on a care perspective. Meaning, the individual has the need to preserve his/her relationship and minimize the hurt which takes precedence over considerations of what is just and right. In most situations, individuals tend to make their ethical choices based on one or the other ethical perspectives, even if they are aware of both possibilities. Gilligan admits, however, that both perspectives