Ethical theories of Duty, Consequentialism, and Cultural Relativism
As a philosophy, ethics are the concepts that govern the actions of an individual. Although there are many ethical views that most people hold, ethics can vary from person to person. Human moral code is influenced in more depth by their cultural background and surroundings. Human emotions influence their words and deeds, and in a group context, ethics in decision making can be evaluated by the outcomes of words and actions. Thoughts and motivation are often relegated to the personal domain.
As a consequence, the assessment of acceptable ethical actions will have limitations (Brusseau, p. 2). On the other hand, ethical decision-making can help people build up their reputation and bring some business. And people will feel good about their ethical decision-making, and they will consider the feelings and needs of others. During the COVID-19, my ethical dilemma is that you need to close all the school and change courses to online courses? To use ethics in my decision-making, my cultural background and environment depend on me to believe that online courses can help both students and teachers to benefit from COVID-19.
We can use an example to explain the word “duty” to understand it. Can someone steal the thing from the store? The answer is not; stealing is wrong. This example can show that all people have a duty not to steal, so we are not supposed to. Before we do something, make sure you understand what our duties are and obey them (Brusseau, p.3). In more detail, the word “duty” has two meanings: one is the nature of the universe, part of the way things are. In a sense, they are a moral complement to the laws of physics. The other is the duty of humanity in the sense that part of what it means to be human is to have that particular sense of right and wrong (Brusseau, p.9). The reason comes naturally because it is part of our nature. To put ethics in my ethical dilemma, the answer would be to close the school and change the way students teach. If the risk of infection increases in the number of people in small areas, it is the responsibility of the school to close it. The school has to ensure the safety of every student and teacher.
On the other hand, if the school continues to open, the student may have an infection while going to school. If one person gets infected and goes to school, more people will get infected. So, it is the school’s responsibility to close the school. Second, I need to protect myself first during the COVID-19; this is humanity in a sense. From my point of view, I should avoid the public and stay at home. Also, if I choose to stay home, I can protect other people and reduce the spread of the virus.
Consequentialists focus on the outcome rather than action, and the main ethical concern is what kind of outcome I should want? Consequentialist ethicists focus more on the results of what you do, not what you do. There are three different types of consequentialists: the utilitarian, the altruistic, and the egoistic. For utilitarian, it is defined that people should maximize human well-being or well-being (Brusseau, p.2). More specifically, it means that the ethically correct choice in a given situation is the one that produces the most happiness and the least unhappiness for the greatest number of people. If I use utilitarian in my ethical dilemma, my goal would be to have all the schools closed and switch to online classes because closed school and online classes are the way that can make the most effort for more people and the easier way to protect myself. During online classes, students can learn through internet software and finish the quiz online. If the majority of the student graduates do not have any influence, the student can take safety and study at home. Although online class performance is lower than face-to-face class performance, it is the best way to ensure that most students learn during COVID-19 (Brusseau, p.12).
In egoism, the view that people should pursue their self-interest, and that no one has any obligation to promote the interests of anyone else. And, ultimately, all actions are self-interested (Brusseau, p. 25). To put egoism in my ethical dilemma, no matter what school chooses to close or not, I will not go to school. Avoiding crowded places is the most effective way to reduce the risk of COVID-19. I can avoid most of the people if I stay home. From my point of view, my safety would be the first consideration; if I choose to put egoism into my ethical dilemma, I would decide to take an online course and stay at home to protect myself.
For altruism, there is a group of people who are selfless. “There are two kinds of altruists: those who practice altruism on their own and leave everyone else alone, and those who believe that everyone should act solely to the benefit of others and without regard to their own well-being (Brusseau, p.16).” If I choose to practice altruism on my own, I should not be focusing on my well-being. When most of the school is willing to stay in school, I should follow the perspective of most people and think about how to protect most people.