1	Everyday Ethics… Doing the Right Thing When Nobody’s Looking Craig T. Fifer craig@fifer.net March 4, 2003 Southwest Virginia Governor’s School
2	What is Ethics? Ethics explains why you believe something is right or wrong. Bob Sherman Ethics has to do with what one should do…not what, in fact, any of us will do... Patricia Werhane Ethics is the method by which we categorize our values and pursue them. Jeff Landauer and Joseph Rowlands Ethics is a set of values that consistently guides our behavior. Patricia Clason
3	What Ethics Is Not Morality Obedience Feelings Religious Beliefs Laws and Rules Social Acceptability Etiquette
4	Why Does Ethics Matter? How else do we make decisions? Unethical behavior has consequences… Pursuit of the Golden Rule
5	What Gets in the Way Hedonism Peer Pressure Family/Religious/Cultural Expectations Short Term v. Long Term Ignorance of the Facts
6	Theories of Ethics Moral Absolutism Right is right and wrong is wrong Ethics are based on actions Principles are applicable everywhere Ethical Relativism Right is relative Ethics are based on consequences Different cultures have different ethics
7	A Problem with Relativism "What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?“ "I'd cut down every law in England to do that.“ "Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you - where would you hide...the laws all being flat?“ -Robert Bolt, "A Man for All Seasons"
8	The Red Light Dilemma You are approaching an intersection at 3 a.m. and you can clearly see that there are no other cars around. The traffic signal is red. Do you drive through the red signal?
9	Intellectual Property To what degree should other people’s creative works be protected? Is cheating the same as stealing? Does copying other people’s works hurt anyone?
10	Piracy According to a study commissioned by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA): CD sales rose 18% between 1997 and 2000 Sales at stores within one mile of any college remained the same Sales at stores within one miles of the “Top 40 Wired” colleges dropped 7%
11	Honesty Is it okay to lie… Ever? To avoid hurting someone’s feelings? To setup a pleasant surprise? To protect a friend? To prevent greater harm? To catch a criminal? To save a life?
12	Identity
13	Bioethics Questions Is sex selection ethical? Is cloning ethical? Should the results of unethical science be used in later research? Is animal testing ethical? Is DNA cataloging ethical?
14	Ethics in War Civilian casualties Child soldiers Prisoners of war Medical treatment Journalists Holidays
15	"Lance Cpl." Lance Cpl. Santiago Ventura from Houston, Texas…proudly displays an Iraqi brand of cigarettes he confiscated from a prisoner of war near in south central Iraq. Marines, having been away from their supply camps in Kuwait, are severely short of smokes while in Iraq. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)
16	The Photo…
17	The Truth…
18	The Nuclear Dilemma A rogue nation has nuclear weapons that it will surely fire at another country, killing millions of innocent people. A powerful nation can destroy the nuclear facilities, but will kill 50 innocent people who live nearby. Should the facilities be destroyed?
19	Quick Dilemmas Which would you rescue, if only one? A child or an adult? A stranger or your dog? Hitler or Lassie? Your significant other or your best friend? A dog or a weasel? Your entire family or your entire school? The cure for cancer, or your mother?
20	The Desert Dilemma You are crossing a desert when you come upon another traveler. You have a small canteen of water and he has none. If you keep the water, you will likely make it out of the desert. If you give the water to him, he will likely live, but you will surely die. If you share the water, you will both surely die. What do you do?
21	The Serial Killer Dilemma A city has been terrorized by a serial killer. If a known violent felon is framed for the murders, police are certain the real killer will stop. Should the police frame the felon to stop the murders?
22	Conclusion Ethics is not about what everyone else is doing, or about what you can get away with, or about what feels good. Ethics is about what you should do in a particular situation – what society expects, not accepts.
23	Conclusion Ethical living forms a basis for our relationships with other people and helps us make decisions on an everyday basis. You can be a model for ethical behavior in your community.
24	"Act as if what you..." Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
25	For more information… Craig T. Fifer craig@fifer.net www.fifer.net 540-853-2918 AIM/MSN/Y: CraigFifer