INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Understand the concept of moral dilemma
• Understand the importance Moral Dilemma in making moral
decision/judgment
• Identify levels of moral dilemma
• Articulate the 7-step moral reasoning
- Apply the value of integrity in one’s moral reasoning
WHICH ONE
SHOULD I
TAKE?
IS DILEMMA A PROBLEM?
- A dilemma is a difficult choice between unattractive
alternatives.
- If a person is in a situation where he/she does not
have to choose between two alternatives, it is not a
dilemma
- Rather, it can be a problematic or distressful situation
- Yet, a problem is a situation that must be resolved
somehow.
WHAT IS A DILEMMA?
- A situation where there is no clear ‘best Choice”
between two or more alternatives.
- A situation where a person is forced to choose
between two or more conflicting options, neither
of which is acceptable.
- A situation in which a tough choice has to be
made between two or more options, especially
more or less equally undesirable ones
- Not all dilemmas are moral dilemmas
WHAT ARE MORAL DILEMMAS?
- situations in which the decision-maker must
consider two or more moral values or duties but
can only honor one of them; thus, the individual
will violate at least one important moral concern,
regardless of the decision
- situations in which there is a choice to be made
between TWO OPTIONS, neither of which resolves
the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion.
CRUCIAL FEATURES OF A MORAL DILEMMA
- The agent is required to do each of two (or
more) actions
- The agent can do each of the actions but
- The agent cannot do both (or all) of the
actions.
“either or” 2 conflicting goods or 2
conflicting evils
• When you are confused on what course you will take
(accounting or engineering), do you think you are
facing a dilemma?
• Is there a moral issue (moral dilemma) involve when
you consider whether to stop schooling to help the
family in financial problems or opting to stay in school
and let the parents work?
• Hence, what is the moral dilemma there?
WHICH ONE SHOULD I TAKE?
• A qualified candidate who wants to run in their congressional
district. He wants to create change and he knew that he can
well-represent their district if he will win the election. However,
his opponent is a known drug-pusher, illiterate but very rich. He
knows that his district will be in danger if his opponent will win.
So, he told himself that at by all means he should win the
election. But he knew from the very start that if he will not buy
votes, like what his opponent will be doing, he will surely lose
the election. Now, some of his supporters are willing to fund
him for him to win because they believed on him. But he knew
that vote-buying is illegal. He is now in dilemma whether to
accept the offer or not? Whether he will engage in vote-buying
or not? This is a situation where a man’s dignity and integrity is
being tested. But as stated above, not all legal are moral. It
maybe illegal to buy votes but does it make the person immoral
if he will buy votes for him to win the election knowing that he
has good intention? If you think that this situation falls down in
a moral dilemma, what makes the issue moral then?
THREE LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMA
• PERSONAL DILEMMAS (individual level)
• ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS (company level)
• STRUCTURAL DILEMMAS (systemic level)
PERSONAL DILEMMAS
(INDIVIDUAL LEVEL)
- Are those experienced and resolved on the personal level. Since
ethical decisions are personally made, most of moral dilemmas
fall in this level
- If a person makes conflicting promises, he faces moral conflict.
- It is an individual’s damn-if-you-do-and-damn-if-you-don’t
situation.
EXAMPLE:
Maria is a deeply religious person; hence, she considers killing
humans absolutely wrong. Unfortunately, it is found out that Maria
is having an ectopic pregnancy. Hence, Maria is faced with Two
Conflicting Options: A. Resort to Abortion or B. Does not resort to
abortion (Normal vs Ectopic)
ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS (COMPANY
LEVEL)
- An organizational dilemma is a puzzle posed by the dual
necessities of a social organization and member’s self-
interest.
- It may exist between personal interests and organization
welfare or between group interests and organizational
well-being.
- A medical institution which believes that human life should
not be deliberately shortened and that unpreventable pain
should not be tolerated encounters a conflict in resolving
whether to withdraw the life support from a dying patient
- UDM Mission Vision vs Students’ Academic Status
ORGANIZATIONAL DILEMMAS (COMPANY
LEVEL)
- In public sector, government leaders and employees have a moral duty to act in a manner
that is fair and unbiassed. Not to favor to family of friends or campaign contributors over
constituents; favoring the agenda of one’s political party
- At a company level or corporate level, ethical standards are embedded in the policies and
procedures of the organization.
Ethical standards are applicable to all those within the organization
Example. “Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers”
• Why this code is considered as organizational dilemmas? Because this code of ethics is
applicable only to a certain organization/agency – education sector particularly teachers.
This is a guide for all those of the organization.
• Sec 6, Art II. A teacher shall not use his position or facial authority or influence to coerce
any other person to follow any political course of action.
STRUCTURAL DILEMMAS
(SYSTEMIC LEVEL)
- Cases involving network of institutions and operative theoretical
paradigms.
- It is a conflict of perspective of sectors, groups and institutions that may be
affected by the decisions.
A. Differentiation versus Integration in Structural Dilemma
- with DECENTRALIZATION, local governments have become more
empowered to address their problems or are given opportunity in localize the
given curriculum. In effect, local governments and schools have likewise
become more differentiated and so it becomes more difficult to integrate
them for a UNIFIED STRUCTURE. LOCAL GOVERNANCE HAVE BECOME MORE
COMPLEX.
Any attempt to introduce REFORM in society or government creates structural
dilemma.
K212 PROGRAM – TEACHING JOB DISPLACEMENT
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE – SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE
STRUCTURAL DILEMMAS
(SYSTEMIC LEVEL)
K212 PROGRAM – TEACHING JOB DISPLACEMENT
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE – SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE – why
would those who contribute less to the SOCIAL FUND enjoy
the same benefits as those who contributed big amounts
premium.
DRUG(MEDICINE) PRICE CONTROL. If the government
intervenes by introducing price control, the drug stores may
lose so much that they may close the store. If the government
does not do anything at all, the patients will continue to suffer
because they may not be able to afford the high prices of
medicines
THE 7-STEP MORAL REASONING MODEL
[Link] the Facts
[Link] the Ethical Issues
[Link] principles which have a bearing on the case
[Link] the alternatives – what are the available
options?
[Link] alternatives with principles
[Link] the consequences
[Link] a decision
GATHER FACTS
• Not every choice we make needs to be deliberated upon as a
moral dilemma. Choosing what clothes to wear today, what
food to eat for lunch, while involving some tension, are not
what moral dilemma is about.
DETERMINE THE ETHICAL ISSUES
• Trigger Event: Identifying and setting up Ethical
Problem. “THE ISSUE” Every ethical problem has
more than one component and that not every
component involves an ethical decision. For
instance, we should be able to separate a client’s
right to advertise from a possible ethical problem
involving the way the product is to be advertised.
And the issue should be stated clearly. The question
is not whether the client should advertise, but
whether the client should advertise in a particular
manner that might ethically problematic.
CHOOSE PRINCIPLES WHICH HAVE A BEARING
ON THE CASE
• Who are the stakeholders? It is important to identify the stakeholders
who will be affected by the ethical decision to be made. This is also the
first point at which ethical theories might be applied since the idea of
moral stakeholders can be tied both to consequential and non-
consequential theories. For Example, from a utilitarian perspective, the
interest of the majority must be taken into consideration – therefore, the
majority stakeholders must be recognized as a group. Recognized duties
– like justice, gratitude, self-improvement, etc. – allow us not only to list
stakeholders but also to decide on who they are. For example, if, as a
reporter, you are obligated by the duty of fidelity to honor your implied
contract with the public to give them the news you want to read, that
reading public must be listed as a stakeholder in your decision.
LIST THE ALTERNATIVES – WHAT ARE THE
AVAILABLE OPTIONS?
• It is important to list down at least three. As Aristotle
remarks, there are at least two, and these two often
represent the extremes. Nothing is either black or
white; sometimes one is forced to think in terms of a
compromise, even if that compromise doesn’t exactly
conform to your personal notion of what is the right
thing to do.
COMPARE ALTERNATIVES WITH PRINCIPLES
• In considering and evaluating the options, it will
help to be guided by the following approaches. This
is the point at which the various sources of
Christian morality, ethical theories and principles
come into play. One will discover here that there is
much conflict among these. There are no easy
solutions.
ASSESS THE CONSQUENCES
What benefits and what harms will each option procedure, and which alternative will
lead the best overall consequence. Double checking one’s decision. It is important to
take a second look at the decision to be made. First, we must see to it that our
arguments are consistent. Ethics is supposed to provide us with a guide for moral living,
and to do so, it must be rational – that is, free of contradictions. Second, we must also
ask if our arguments are both valid and sound. A valid argument is one whose premises
logically entail its conclusion. An invalid argument on the other hand is one whose
premises do not entail its conclusion. A sound argument, on the other hand, has true
premises and valid reasoning. Third, perhaps we can ask the following questions: what
are the best and worse-case scenarios if I choose this particular option? Can I honestly
live with myself if I make this decision? Will I be able to defend this decision to that
claimant who has lost the most or been harmed the most?
Finally, our decision must be ‘enabling” rather than “dis-abling”. There are decisions
that prevent us from acting any more fruitfully or effectively. These decisions cannot be
moral. After all, a moral decision or action is one that liberates us – develops us our
potentialities as a person.
MAKE A DECISION
•– Ethicists claim that this the most difficult part of
the process of moral decision-making. It requires
courage- especially when reason suggests one way
and what we feel another way. Some people make
their decisions even prior to the reasoning process.
When this happens, it is possible to end up with a
decision that one can then rationalize but not really
justify.
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A PERSON TO AVOID OR
ESCAPE MORAL DILEMMA?
• If a person avoids moral dilemmas, they can avoid being involved in
decisions that cause moral harm. Hence, when one avoids moral
dilemmas, one avoids moral responsibilities that may result to greater
moral problem
