HOW TO MAKE GOOD MORAL DECISIONS

[prof]

When confronted with an ethical dilemma one may care enough to get involved. Here are some guidelines:

"Ethical behavior is the product of moral sensitivity, (recognition), moral judgment, moral focus (motivation), and moral character.
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Increase your sensitivity to potential ethical issues through perspective taking, using moral terminology, increasing the moral intensity of issues, and being sensitive to the presence of moral emotions like anger, disgust, guilt, or sympathy.
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Improve your ability to make moral judgments by creating an ethical environment that provides ethical role models and guidelines, continuing your education with a special focus on ethics, considering the needs and perspectives of broader audiences, and basing your decisions on widely accepted moral principles and guidelines.
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Foster your moral motivation and that of followers by rewarding ethical choices, responding to moral emotions, and controlling negative feelings.
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Your chances of following through on ethical decisions (moral character) are higher if you demonstrate virtue, believe you have some control over events in your life, and develop the necessary skills to put your plan into action.
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Decision-making guidelines can help you make better ethical choices. Possible ethical decision-making formats include Kidder’s ethical checkpoints, the SAD formula, Nash’s 12 questions, and the case study method. The particular format you choose is not as important as taking a systematic approach to ethical decision making.
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Your initial reaction to an ethical dilemma, based on emotions, cultural influences, past experiences, and intuitions, can inform the conclusion you reach using a decision-making format.
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Whatever format you follow, make every effort to gather in-depth, current, and accurate information.
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Creativity is as vital in making ethical decisions as it is in generating new products and programs. Sometimes you can come up with a “third way” that resolves ethical conflicts.
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Moral dilemmas often involve clashes between two core (good) values. Common right-versus-right dilemmas are truth versus loyalty, short term versus long term, individual versus community, and justice versus mercy.
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Think of ethical deliberation as an ongoing process. You may go through a sequence of steps and use them again. Return to your decision later to evaluate and learn from it. As soon as one ethical crisis passes, there’s likely to be another on the horizon.
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Don’t expect perfection. As a leader, make the best choice you can after thorough deliberation but recognize that sometimes you may have to choose between two flawed alternatives."

SOURCE: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/upm-data/39590_Chapter7.pdf pp. 29-30. For details and deeper explanations you will want to read the entire chapter; it offers the pros and the cons which eeach process entails. It provides arguments for each claim as to which is the effective procedure when resolving moral dilemmas. This Chaper 7 is illustrated with case studies. Reflecting upon these sharpens your moral decision-making capabilities.


Feedback? Suggestions from your own experience in ethical decision-making?

[prof]

We are entering a new year, the year 2015, a time when traditionally resolutions are made and goals are set. Although this is also relevant to Applied Ethics - and it may perhaps be considered local to the United States - I offer it here as an example of leadership and the moral courage to take a stand:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-j- ... 00848.html

Dennis is so bold as to propose the abolition of the Federal Reserve Board, making its best features a part of the U.S. Treasury Department. He agrees with the gentleman who set up this provocative website: http://www.monetary.org

Comments? Are these worthwhile New Year Resolutions? How can we individually offer support, if we agree?

[prof]

Earlier I wrote, "Moral dilemmas often involve clashes between two core (good) values. Common right-versus-right dilemmas are truth versus loyalty, short term versus long term, individual versus community, and justice versus mercy."

It is recommended by the late Rush Kidder, who wrote the book HOW GOOD PEOPLE MAKE TOUGH CHOICES, that whenever you possibly can: choose long-term, community, and mercy over the other alternatives. "Mercy" in this context means love. Intrinsic Value implies all of these, community, mercy, and long-term considerations.

[HagosaAmanuel]

1. Identify exactly what the problem is
2. Identify the goal
3. Brainstorm as many alternative solutions as you can
4. List the facts—what you know, and what you don’t know
5. Identify the people who will be affected by this decision and the principles involved
6. Lists the pros and cons of each solution option
7. List the importance of each solution and the likelihood it will happen
8. List your reasons for choosing each solution
9. List your priorities and preferences