BLaw Lecture 2/18

Elements of Ethical Decision-Making

• Key values in any human network: honesty, loyalty, commitment, and non-harm.

• Common agreement that these are crucial elements in human society and interactions.

• The trolley problem raises questions about the balance of these values in difficult situations.

Case Examples and Ethical Dilemmas

Scenario Discussion

• Example of loyalty vs. honesty: Choosing whether to report a friend stealing from a business.

• Majority decision: it's common to choose loyalty over honesty in personal friendships.

• Stresses the difficulty of decision-making when faced with two undesirable outcomes.

Comparisons and Reflections

• Reference to the movie "Gone Baby Gone": the protagonist's moral choices between right actions and deeper consequences.

• Two options often lead to

  • Shitty Option A: Break the law and violate an oath, but possibly save a child’s life.

  • Shitty Option B: Honor the oath but contribute to a child’s potential future harm.

Leadership Scenarios

• Dilemmas in firing decision:

  • Fire a rude, productive employee OR a kind but non-productive employee.

  • Emphasizes the reality leaders face in making tough choices with no clear right answers.

Tools for Ethical Decision-Making

• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics provides a framework for navigating complex ethical dilemmas:

  • Step 1: Gather information

  • Step 2: Weigh the consequences

  • Step 3: Arrive at an informed decision.

• Recognizes that ethical reasoning is complex and does not yield simple solutions.

Moral Pluralism vs. Moral Relativism

• Moral pluralism: recognizing multiple moral perspectives that can be valid.

• Moral relativism: the idea that morality is contingent upon cultural, societal, and personal beliefs.

Behavioral Ethics

• Newer field focusing on why humans make certain ethical decisions in complex environments.

• Importance of understanding psychological underpinnings of decision-making processes.

Hubris and Detachment

• Hubris: excessive pride leading to moral detachment from the consequences of one's actions.

• Discussion of societal figures and characters that embody arrogance leading to negative impacts on others.

Case Study: Larry Nassar

• Larry Nassar was a doctor for USA Gymnastics who sexually abused hundreds of young athletes over two decades.

• Numerous authority figures were aware of this misconduct but failed to act, illustrating systemic failures of accountability.

• The discussion emphasizes the importance of speaking up against wrongdoings in organized environments like schools, churches, and workplaces.

The "Win at All Costs" Mentality

• The danger of focusing solely on success metrics (e.g., profitability, championships) at the expense of ethical standards.

• Example of Michigan State University highlights systemic issues leading to grave consequences when priorities are misaligned.

Psychological Factors in Ethical Decision-Making

Obedience to Authority

• Concept: people often follow orders from authority figures, potentially leading to unethical decisions.

• Discusses examples of complicity due to hierarchical structures in organizations.

Conformity Bias

• Humans have a natural tendency to conform to group behaviors, which can lead to unethical decisions or inaction.

• Discussion emphasizes awareness of peer pressure and the impact of social dynamics on individual choices.

Cognitive Dissonance

• Mental disconnect that occurs when one's actions do not align with their beliefs or values.

• Example given for environmentalists whose actions contradict their principles.

Confirmation Bias

• Tendency to seek and interpret information in a way that confirms pre-existing beliefs.

• Discussion surrounding media consumption and political beliefs.

Self-Serving Bias

• Individuals attribute their successes to personal qualities while blaming failures on external factors.

• Common response to setbacks often reflects a lack of accountability in personal evaluations.

Framing Effects

• How information presentation influences perceptions and decisions.

• Example from marketing showing how product descriptions can manipulate buyer choice.

Tangible vs. Abstract

• Emotional appeals in nonprofit advertising highlighting the impact of making causes relatable and personal.

• Specific strategies to evoke empathetic responses to foster charitable giving.