Moral Dilemma In Your Life
The Prompt:
We have studied four ethical theories, namely: Stoicism, virtue ethics (Aristotle), Utilitarianism (Mill), and deontological ethics (Kant). Because Stoicism is more of a collection of principles and techniques than a theory, it is not included on the final. Describe a moral dilemma in your life and explain what each philosopher would say to you about it. Argue for the position that you think is philosophically the best. “Philosophically the best” means according to reason, and not according to how you were raised, which theory you understood the best, or which one you found the best videos about.
If you are not using one of the dilemmas you submitted at the beginning of the semester, I urge you to share your dilemma with me to make sure it is an ethical dilemma.
Length:
About six 1.5 spaced pages, which is roughly 1,500 words (because we tend to use longer words in philosophy). More information here.
Who is doing the work?
Think of this as a test. You do not want me, the reader, doing much work because that only demonstrates my understanding of ethics. You, the writer, need to do the work to demonstrate how much you've learned. So you can either imagine that you are writing to your instructor, or if that is too stressful, imagine that you are writing to your grandmother or some other intelligent person. You need to explain what the Greatest Happiness Principle is, but you don't need to tell her that Mill was a nineteenth-century British philosopher.
Structure of your essays:
The same as it has been on the applications. For a refresher, see Essay Format.
What separates a C paper from an A paper:
If all you do is apply each philosopher’s main point, you will earn no more than a C for that answer. You do need to mention each philosopher’s main point, but to earn an A or B, you must also mention something else. Here’s what you must mention to pass:
For Aristotle, the doctrine of the mean.
For Mill, the greatest happiness principle.
For Kant, the categorical imperative (both formulations).
What do I mean by “something else”? At the highest level, something that shows that you have read and thought about what each philosopher wrote beyond what we discussed in class. I do not have something specific in mind, so please do not try to second guess me.
Miscellaneous points
This is not a research paper. There is no need to use additional sources. If you do use them—and even if it’s “only” Wikipedia—be sure to cite them.
Do not over-summarize. By this I mean do not say that a philosopher holds a particular view about something unless you use it in your essay. For example, do not mention the role of friends in Aristotle’s ethics unless you will talk about friends in your answer.
Keep in mind that while you need to explain what the moral dilemma is, doing so is largely grade neutral. By this, I mean that, for example, a five-page paper that has three pages in which you describe your moral dilemma is essentially a two-page paper.
Do not use quotation web sites. Philosophy is not a subject that can be reduced to a bumper sticker or slogan. Even when the quotation is accurate, the lack of context renders it philosophically useless.
Generally, there’s no need to write “I think.”
Do not write “I feel” unless you mean it.
Use citations but avoid quotations.
Lastly, Here's a list of Common mechanical errors.
November 16, 2020
Applying virtue ethics (Aristotle), Utilitarianism (Mill), and deontological ethics (Kant)
The moral or ethical dilemma is the case of whether a student should cheat and get a study scholarship abroad or whether they should not, where there will likely fail to study abroad and will not live up to the parent’s expectations. There are dire consequences in both options. Human beings possess free will and the capacity for rational thoughts and choosing to cheat to study abroad is a choice even if there is pressure from parents to succeed and graduate from a reputable international institution. Prudence is an important ethical virtue and in decision making being rational and choosing the most appropriate action or decision reflects prudence. A prudent person knows how to act in certain situations and makes good choices. There is an evaluation of Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Mills’ utilitarianism, and Kant’s deontological ethics in the aforementioned ethical dilemma.
Aristotle’s virtue ethics
Aristotle speaks about virtue in his writings on ethics and he identifies ethical virtues, which come from custom and there is a natural aptitude to receive and perfect them through custom. To the philosopher, there are two extremes that are considered in decision making when virtues are involved in excess and defect. Aristotle distinguishes intellectual virtues and the ethical virtues and the latter requires prudence. The virtue of a man is linked to his habit where he becomes good and actions must be evaluated based on whether there is excess or defect. The habits that make one better are the virtues and the bad habits are vices. Aristotelian ethics emphasizes that establishing that of all human actions seek to achieve happiness and it is the habits that help one achieve the fulfillment that make humans happy and these are the virtues.
Excess
Being admitted into university will reflect well for the student and the parents and there will be the expectation that the student will work hard. The others would assume that the student got to the university through the proper challenges and he is thereby merit. The students benefit by getting an education from the institution, which improves the chances of getting a well-paying job. There is also the possibility of getting a scholarship to further education. The student can also network and make connections with different people, which can help in professional development better than if he did not attend the institution.
Defect
When there is cheating one gets marks that they do not deserve and this is unfair, but when considering the impact of the decision there are various downsides. The student is likely to feel guilty for being praised and yet there is no merit and if moved up into programs that are even more difficult to understand they are likely to cheat more to avoid failing. Furthermore, there is a risk of losing scholarships as it is likely that the courses are less enjoyable. There is no guarantee that the student will find education and life abroad is enjoyable and he or she will be merely trying to please the parents. If the students are found out to have cheated there will be damage to his reputation, the institution’s reputation and the parent’s honor when it is clear that the student lacks integrity and honesty. Some people would lose trust in the recruitment process and employers doubt education standards and merit for students from the institution. In Aristotle’s virtue ethics cheating violates the virtues of honesty, fairness and respect since one act in a way that does not truly reflect their competence. Thus, it is best for the student not to cheat and use highly inflated grades that are falsified and focus on improving their knowledge and competence to get better grades and well-deserved scholarships.
Utilitarianism (Mill)
Utilitarianism relevance to morality is the case of utility or happiness derived from actions when an action is useful based on the results and consequences and hence the doctrine is also known as consequentialism. John Stuart Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle (Principle of Utility) highlights that happiness is the key condition to determine what moral, whereby more please and less pain is better morally. Thus, to Mill actions are good to the extent that they promote happiness and are bad when they produce the opposite of happiness (Lindebaum, and Raftopoulou 817). Mill conceptualizes happiness as pleasure where there is the absence o...