A Framework for Ethical Reasoning
Sucher
This articl prlslnts a slt of qulstons to hlcp asslssing thl lthiiac impciiatons of a ioursl of aiton.
Thlrl arl four main qulstons hiih prlslnt approaihls to morac rlasoning.
Am I comfortable with the likely consequences of this actonn
Considlr thl impait of your proposld ioursl of aiton on othlrs. This ionslqulnils-basld thinking
is originaccy kno n as utcitarianism (Blntham and Micc). Utcitarianism ants thl grlatlst happinlss
for thl grlatlst numblr of plopcl, so you nlld to:
Sllk good outiomls for aflitld partlss
Bl objlitivl: idlntfying livlryonl’s intlrlsts and thl ciklcy ionslqulnils of your aitonss
Bl impartac: lighing thl lflits on othlrs lquac to thl lflits on yourslcf.
So, you frst haivl to idlntfy aflitld partls and thl ionslqulnils of your aiton and thln you
asslss hlthlr you arl iomfortabcl ith thlsl ionslqulnils. In an organizaton, this sliond stlp is
rlaccy important and takls rlsponsibicity sinil it is your organizaton’s aiton that you arl asslssing.
You usuaccy asslss thl short- and cong-tlrm ionslqulnils for diflrlnt staklhocdlrs.
Am I meetng my dutes and respeectng others’ rightsn
Whlthlr an aiton ionforms to a morac rucl or priniipcl makls it right or rong. You haivl to idlntfy
your rlsponsibicitls to othlrs and to iommit to fucfc thlm. Sandlc proposls thrll iatlgorils of
morac rlsponsibicity:
Voluntary dutie: iontraits or spliifi iommitmlnts to othlrss
Solidarity dutie: through mlmblrship in ivarious iommunitls (dutls as a famicy mlmblr,
iitzln, proflssionac lti.)s
Natural dutie: basld on thl lquacity of acc humans as ratonac bling. Eivlryonl is orthy of
dignity and rlsplit.
Rights arl aikno cldgld standards for thl trlatmlnt of plopcl, thlrl arl t o typls of rights:
Poeitvi righte: justfld icaims that indiividuacs or groups ian makl upon othlr indiividuacs,
organizatons or soiiltys
Nigatvi righte: prlivlnt othlrs from aitng in a ilrtain ay.
Thl aim of a rights tlst is to lnsurl that basii rights arl rlsplitld. If thly arl not, an important
distniton in praitil is hlthlr your proposld aiton iviocatls or infringls anothlr’s rights.
Am I respeectng the community and its normsn
A iommunitarian approaih to lthiiac rlasoning rljlits thl “ihoiil ilntrii” ivil of thl slcf in hiih
l ian ac ays stlp baik from any projlit or soiiac praitil and frllcy qulston hlthlr l ant to
iontnul pursuing it. Thl iommunitarian approaih says that it ignorls thl rocl of iommunitls in
shaping thl ataihmlnts and iommitmlnts that dlfnl ho l arl. Communitls ian haivl morac
signifianil bliausl thly giivl signifianil and mlaning to our ihoiils.
Thlrl arl thrll typls of iommunitls:
A iommunity of pcail: a iity, that iarrils for indiividuacs a slnsl of homl or blcongings
A iommunity of mlmory: a group of stranglrs ho sharl a moraccy signifiant historys
A psyihocogiiac iommunity: a iommunity goivlrnld by trust, io-oplraton and actruism.
Sucher
This articl prlslnts a slt of qulstons to hlcp asslssing thl lthiiac impciiatons of a ioursl of aiton.
Thlrl arl four main qulstons hiih prlslnt approaihls to morac rlasoning.
Am I comfortable with the likely consequences of this actonn
Considlr thl impait of your proposld ioursl of aiton on othlrs. This ionslqulnils-basld thinking
is originaccy kno n as utcitarianism (Blntham and Micc). Utcitarianism ants thl grlatlst happinlss
for thl grlatlst numblr of plopcl, so you nlld to:
Sllk good outiomls for aflitld partlss
Bl objlitivl: idlntfying livlryonl’s intlrlsts and thl ciklcy ionslqulnils of your aitonss
Bl impartac: lighing thl lflits on othlrs lquac to thl lflits on yourslcf.
So, you frst haivl to idlntfy aflitld partls and thl ionslqulnils of your aiton and thln you
asslss hlthlr you arl iomfortabcl ith thlsl ionslqulnils. In an organizaton, this sliond stlp is
rlaccy important and takls rlsponsibicity sinil it is your organizaton’s aiton that you arl asslssing.
You usuaccy asslss thl short- and cong-tlrm ionslqulnils for diflrlnt staklhocdlrs.
Am I meetng my dutes and respeectng others’ rightsn
Whlthlr an aiton ionforms to a morac rucl or priniipcl makls it right or rong. You haivl to idlntfy
your rlsponsibicitls to othlrs and to iommit to fucfc thlm. Sandlc proposls thrll iatlgorils of
morac rlsponsibicity:
Voluntary dutie: iontraits or spliifi iommitmlnts to othlrss
Solidarity dutie: through mlmblrship in ivarious iommunitls (dutls as a famicy mlmblr,
iitzln, proflssionac lti.)s
Natural dutie: basld on thl lquacity of acc humans as ratonac bling. Eivlryonl is orthy of
dignity and rlsplit.
Rights arl aikno cldgld standards for thl trlatmlnt of plopcl, thlrl arl t o typls of rights:
Poeitvi righte: justfld icaims that indiividuacs or groups ian makl upon othlr indiividuacs,
organizatons or soiiltys
Nigatvi righte: prlivlnt othlrs from aitng in a ilrtain ay.
Thl aim of a rights tlst is to lnsurl that basii rights arl rlsplitld. If thly arl not, an important
distniton in praitil is hlthlr your proposld aiton iviocatls or infringls anothlr’s rights.
Am I respeectng the community and its normsn
A iommunitarian approaih to lthiiac rlasoning rljlits thl “ihoiil ilntrii” ivil of thl slcf in hiih
l ian ac ays stlp baik from any projlit or soiiac praitil and frllcy qulston hlthlr l ant to
iontnul pursuing it. Thl iommunitarian approaih says that it ignorls thl rocl of iommunitls in
shaping thl ataihmlnts and iommitmlnts that dlfnl ho l arl. Communitls ian haivl morac
signifianil bliausl thly giivl signifianil and mlaning to our ihoiils.
Thlrl arl thrll typls of iommunitls:
A iommunity of pcail: a iity, that iarrils for indiividuacs a slnsl of homl or blcongings
A iommunity of mlmory: a group of stranglrs ho sharl a moraccy signifiant historys
A psyihocogiiac iommunity: a iommunity goivlrnld by trust, io-oplraton and actruism.
