Ethical Dilemma and Suggested Decision - Essay Example

? Ethical Dilemma Ethical dilemma is also termed as moral dilemma. Philosophers have discussed ethical dilemma as a situation/condition in which a victim faces a conflict and all possible solutions for the conflict seem morally intolerable. The concept of ethical dilemma has been further elaborated as a dilemma (condition) in which moral principles that could guide the victim to recovery may not be efficient enough to suggest the correct path. The phenomenon of ethical dilemma and approaches that lead to best solutions to resolve conflicting situations can be better understood through different case studies. This paper aims to present a case study related to an ethical dilemma and the decision suggested to solve the situation. Additionally, it shall evaluate the decision from a viewpoint of utilitarianism, Kantian moral philosophy, Gandhism or Buddhism. The case study that I have selected for this paper is not my personal experience, but it pertains to one of my first cousin, Liana, who has been working as a journalism professor for many years. She has a good experience in her field and possesses a strong command over the subject (writing and sub-editing) as she has been teaching the subject in different institutions and also, holds a Masters degree in the subject. She is quite friendly and has always told me about her teaching ways and behavior that one must have with students in the class. She has always taught her students by maintaining a friendly environment and has always made herself available to help students with their problems within class or outside the class. She has developed a good understanding with all students, and she has always intended to remain cooperative with them for their academic matters. Last year, at the end of the semester, she gave an assignment to all her students of reviewing five articles, which was to be submitted within 25 days. A day before submission date, one of her good and obedient students named David requested her to give him two extras days to complete and submit the assignment. David did not present any suitable reason for requesting an extension in the submission time. Thus, despite the fact that he was good student and always submitted his work on time, Liana did not grant him the permission to submit assignment after the submission day. For Liana, this situation was quite challenging and she considered this as an ethical dilemma for her as she was quite confused with her own decision. But, being loyal with the profession and honest with all other students of the class, unwillingly she decided not to grant him with extra time. However, on the day of submission she received assignments from all students including David. She was happy that he had completed his work on time and she appreciated him in the class, but she noticed that he did not respond her properly. She was confused again and decided to check David's assignment before she can further comment on or think about this situation. Upon checking his assignment, she noticed that he had submitted plagiarized work. Out of five article reviews, two were completely plagiarized, while other three article reviews were well-written without plagiarism and other mistakes. Liana has been very strict with her students regarding the issue of plagiarism in their work and her students were aware of the fact and they have always avoided plagiarism to secure good marks in assignments and avoid disciplinary actions against them. In case of David, it was hard to believe that an above average student like him can plagiarize in two reviews in this manner. For an honest and generous teacher like Liana, it was an ethical dilemma to decide whether she should fail David in his assignment like she has done it before for all those who have submitted plagiarized work or she should give David marks on those three articles that he has completed without plagiarism. In this case, she was recalling David's request for granting him more time to complete the given assignment, but she did not give him extra time as it would have been unfair to other students in the class. Thus, she was in a situation where she wanted to rethink about her decision of failing David, but being a follower of Kantian's moral philosophy, she had to follow the guiding principles of Kant's moral philosophy. According to this philosophy, the moral duty should always be the foremost priority of the person because it is the only duty that binds together all moral agents without discrimination. In this situation, Liana took a decision in light of Kant's Moral philosophy and unwillingly she failed David in the given assignment. For her, it was most ethical act she could do on her part in order to do justice amongst all students of her class, who had completed their assignments on time and did all reviews without plagiarism. In the above presented dilemma, practical implementation of Kant's moral philosophy could be considered as the most appropriate one because unlike other philosophies such as utilitarianism, Gandhism or Buddhism, it is based on moral principles of justice. Kant's philosophy allows people to treat humanity in a way that a person is a legislator and he or she is also being legislated in the kingdoms of "Ends" (FIU). Kant was a systematic thinker and his philosophy as applied in the case of a teacher-student relationship helps to understand the fact that "moral philosophy is an integral part of a coherent system of thought and is interlaced with his metaphysics, his epistemology aesthetics, philosophy of religion, political and philosophy etc" (FIU). In case of David, it has been noted that initially Liana was confused with her decision because she understood that David must have been going through some problem that he even did not discuss with her, and only asked for an extension in the submission time. Considering the obligation of duty, she thought in a professional manner and with respect to Kant's moral philosophy she made a decision which was based on justice (FIU). She strongly believed in the philosophy and considered the fact that if she will give favor to David, it would be morally and ethically wrong with other students of the class. Therefore, it can be understood that in a situation similar to the above discussed one moral perspective should be considered at foremost place because we are all equal and no one is privileged. Works Cited FIU. "Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)." Web. 19 February 2013. fiu.edu. Read More