Name ______Date ______Period ______

EXPLORING ETHICS

What Is Ethics? The study of ethics is focused on determining what is right and what is wrong. Understanding your own ethics is critical when you make decisions on a daily basis; beyond that, the ethics of others also shape your world (we will talk more about this in coming units). While some things are clearly wrong (murder, rape, etc.), many things are less absolute. Read through the following hypothetical situations and explain what your ethical responsibility is in the given situation. Remember, doing what is ethically right may not “feel” right, follow the law, or be what society expects…or it might be. Some of these are a little tricky, so think carefully before you respond and thoroughly explain your opinion.

1. Your friend, who recently lost her job, comes to you and explains that she is considering stealing to feed her children, but she wants to know if you think it is wrong for her to do so. What do you tell her?

2. You visit the ATM to withdraw $40 from your bank account. For some reason the machine gives you $60 instead. The receipt only indicates a withdrawal of $40 so nobody will know. What do you do?

3. A stranger is yelling at her son in the grocery store. You notice he has a bruise on his arm and scraped knees. As she becomes increasingly angry you think she might hit him. What do you do?

4. You know a friend is planning to cheat on a test. You have tried to talk him out of it, but he will not listen. What do you do?

5. You find a wallet full of cash. The driver’s license in the wallet belongs to someone who is well known in the community as a generally “bad human”. What do you do?

6. There are two shipwrecked sailors, Popeye and Gilligan, in shark infested waters. They both see a piece of wood that can only support one of them. They both swim toward it and Gilligan gets to the plank first. Popeye, who is going to be eaten by the sharks, quickly consumes a can of spinach and pushes Gilligan off and away from the plank. Gilligan, unable to find another board, is devoured by the sharks. Popeye is later saved by a rescue team. Should Popeye be charged with murder? 7. A terrorist planted a small nuclear bomb in San Francisco. Law enforcement captured the terrorist, but he refused to disclose the bomb's location even during torture. Should the government torture the terrorist's innocent family members to force him to talk and save millions of lives?

8. You work for a credit card company and, therefore, have access to people’s financial information. Your friend comes to you and asks for help getting out of debt. You will have to delete some fines he owes. Company policy does not allow you to do so, but you also know you will not get caught and it will only cost the company a few thousand dollars. What do you do?

9. An empty runaway BART train is running out of control down a track. In its path are five students who have been chained to the tracks by their crazy CCG teacher. Fortunately, you can flip a switch which will lead the train down a different track to safety. Unfortunately, there is a single student chained to that track. Should you flip the switch?

10. As before, the runaway BART train is hurtling down a track toward five people. This time, you are on a bridge above the tracks and you can stop the train by dropping a heavy weight in front of it. As it happens, there is a very fat man next to you. Your only way to stop the train is to push him over the bridge (assume you can) and onto the tracks killing him to save the others. Should you proceed?

11. The government did a study and determined that organ donation would save more individuals than it would kill (one donor can save several people). As a result, Congress passed a law creating an organ donation lottery. Every American was assigned a number; when a donation is needed one number is drawn. The person whose number is drawn is expected to give up their life to allow two or more people to live. Your number is drawn. What do you do?

12. Think back to your answers above and circle the statement which you believe most applies to your personal ethical beliefs. In the remaining space, explain why this makes sense to you.

“There is no universal right and wrong which can be applied to every situation. The immediate circumstances define what is ethically right and what is wrong.” – Moral Realism

“The most important thing in life is to be happy. Every person’s highest ethical responsibility is to their own happiness.” - Hedonism

“Ethically speaking, the ends justify the means, but only if those ends are in the best interest of the largest number of people. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” - Utilitarianism

“Right and wrong are not flexible. Things which are ethically right or wrong are always ethically right or wrong, no matter what the circumstances.” – Moral Absolutism