Resource Notes: Ethics Reading

Budinger & Budinger (2006) article on ethical principles, reasoning, and decision making was very fascinating. The article dug deep into life choices by explaining situations that arose due to choices that have been made. Some of these choices include human cloning, theft or robbery, human and animal experimentation, etc. In greater term, each of these choices have had moral and ethical dilemma mixed in with the decision. However, I shouldn't get to far ahead of myself here, because it is not always our choices that are morally or ethically wrong, but it could be the access to technology that creates the dilemma. The advancement in technology over the past 50 years has allowed easier access for doctors to cure diseases, communicate in a matter of seconds, as well as track everyone's footsteps. Some of these are good, but some of them are over the line of good. A few examples will be used to help in explaining how choices are affected by someones perceptiveness of the decisions.
For example, one government might perceive stealing as a crime, whereas another might perceive stealing as normality. When we think of this in terms of technology it is crazy. This is because an individual suffering to breathe or live while going through cancer might want to end their life, but on the other hand the doctor cannot agree to end the person's life. To assist in these situations and get through the toughness of each occurrence, one should use the four A's as depicted by Budinger and Budinger. The four A's are acquire facts, alternatives, assessment, and action. Acquiring the facts is to gain all available knowledge so one can make a decision knowing all sides of the situation. Alternatives is listing other options for how one should make a decision. Assessment is figuring out what situation might arise due to the choice and have a back-up plan in check. Action is the last A, and that is going through with the choice and providing a backing statement in case someone doesn't like the original decision. Lastly, do you think it is possible to treat everyone equally without favoritism or bias? I personally do not think this is possible because their is always a voice in one's head that will create an argument or disagreement.

(Decision Making by Stefan Andrej Shambora. Shared under CC BY-NC. Web Source: Flickr)

Biblography:

Budinger & Budinger. Ethical principles, reasoning, and decision making. Web Source: 

Article Link