Paper Government

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Learning Outcomes

• The chapter first explains ethical imperatives using examples.
• Further it distinguishes ethical decision making from decision making more broadly understood.
• Then it explains how strong critical thinking skills and positive habits of mind assist in deciding what to do when ethical imperatives diverge.

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Chapter Opening Video

• In the video, the duo talk about the challenges of ethical decision making.

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Ethics

• Set of behavioral ideals or moral principles that guide people in determining right and wrong.
• Ethical decision making challenges individuals to be reflective about their core values and ethical opinions by applying critical thinking.
• Source of core ethical values and beliefs is a combination of various factors.
• Family upbringing.
• Standards of peer group.
• Social mores.
• Organizational culture.
• Religious heritage.

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Ethical Imperatives

• Intended to shape or guide behavior by expressing core values and beliefs about what is morally right or wrong.
• Express behavioral ideals and moral principles by pointing out what we ought to do or ought to refrain from doing.
• Think consequences
• Sensible approach to think about the consequences.
• Think duties
• While considering ethics in terms of duties, motive and intention are significant.
• Think virtues
• Positive critical thinking is a virtue.
• Examples
• Keep promises.
• Tell the truth.
• Live in harmony.
• Obey the law.
• Act responsibly.
• Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
• Bring about more good than harm.
• Be moderate in all things.

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Think Consequences

• Due consideration to consequences of choices is a sensible approach.
• Numerous dimensions exist to the due consideration of consequences.
• Consideration of consequences in ethical decision making leads to uncertainty.
• Difficult to determine the exact quantity of good consequences over bad consequence in real world.
• Ethical decision making in real-life contexts extends beyond consequences.
• Includes core values and principles.
• Imprecision and uncertainty found when consequences are considered makes people to decide on probable rather than certain.

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Think Duties

• Ethical decision making by reference to duties does not consider consequences.
• Duties impose absolute ethical obligation on individuals.
• Motive and intention are significant considering ethics in terms of duties.
• Respect for people is an important ethical duty.
• Duty to abide law is associated with religious duties and traditions in homogenous community.
• Making ethical decisions based on duties is top down thinking.

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Think Virtues

• Positive critical thinking habits of mind are virtues.
• Critical thinking habits and ethical virtues are valuable personal attributes.
• Virtuous people do not make ethical decisions by:
• Tabulating consequences.
• Considering the nature of duties.

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Think Virtues

• Virtuous person needs a measure of wisdom and balance.
• Virtue is measured by a person’s tendency to respond or not when need arises.
• Virtuous behavior does not resolve complex dilemmas.
• Ethical virtues are desirable, and must be cultivated and practiced.

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Decision Making and Ethical Decision Making

• Successful decision making requires critical thinking, knowledge, dedication, training, and ethical courage.
• Legality influences decision making in professional domains.
• Reactive and reflective ethical decision making.
• Ethical decision making extends beyond reactions, impulses, or feelings.

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Discussion Questions

• Give an example of when you disagreed with an authority figure about ethical duties or ethical obligations.
• Describe the situation and the reason(s) you disagreed.
• How did you resolve the conflict that time?
• What would you do next time?
• The aim of the discussion is to analyze students’ reactive and reflective decision making process.

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Reactive and Reflective Ethical Decision Making

• Premature dominance structuring can infect ethical decision making.
• Locking on a particular choice makes it difficult to give due consideration to alternative views.
• Precautions in Self-Regulation Critical Thinking Skill Strategies are valuable.
• Reminds people that making good decisions require due deliberation.

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Reactive and Reflective Ethical Decision Making

• Ethical decision making extends beyond reactions, impulses, or feelings.
• Involves applying critical thinking skills and positive critical thinking habits.
• Informed ethical decision making requires a knowledge base.

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Thinking Through Diverging Ethical Imperatives

• People encounter day-to-day ethical problems that requires them to decide between choices.
• Ethical imperatives of decisions attract people in different directions.
• Prioritize, create, and negotiate.
• Establish priorities.
• Create additional options.
• Negotiate based on each party’s interests.
• Personal consistency and respect for others.
• Valuable in ethical decision making.
• Apply the golden rule.
• Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

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Prioritize, Create, and Negotiate

• Establish priorities.
• Analyzing the situation and setting priorities provides a path to a reasonable solution.
• Create additional options.
• Think creatively and identify alternative choices.
• Negotiate based on each party’s interests.
• Negotiate a resolution that fulfills the important interests of both parties.
• Partially fulfilling resolution can be negotiated if the interests cannot be completely fulfilled.
• Strong critical thinkers work together, identify each party’s interests and suggest possible resolutions to achieve some or all of their interests.

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Personal Consistency and Respect for Others

• Consistency is valuable in ethical decision making.
• On encountering inconsistency in applying ethical principles, a person should:
• Step back and reconsider their positions.
• Sharpen their analyses.
• Demand greater precision of thought and expression.
• Pay careful attention to the actual facts of the situation.
• People should respect individuals with whom they disagree.
• Ethical decision making is not about picking and choosing among ethical imperatives.

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Personal Consistency and Respect for Others

• Strong critical thinkers:
• Give importance to points of view of opponents.
• Follow reasons and evidence.
• Seek to discover the basis of the ethical disagreement.
• Critical thinkers must look for alternative approach and negotiate a resolution that fulfills the interests of both parties.

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Apply the Golden Rule

• Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
• Strategy that provides resolution to the most difficult ethical problems.
• Implemented by asking oneself the below questions.
• If someone else were in my situation and I was going to be affected by that person’s decision, how would I want that person to behave?
• If everyone were to do what I propose to do, how would things come out?

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Sketchnote Video

• The video summarizes ethical decision making, ethical virtues, and strategies applied by strong critical thinkers.

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