Ethics and Philosophy

8/3/2019 Ethics and Philosophy

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Ethical Decision-making &Influencing Factors

M.Highfield

HSci303

What Factors Influence

Ethical Decision-Making Values - deeply held, constant beliefs about what is good

& right. Morality Behaviors & beliefs about what is good& right

Ethics Moral philosophy reasoning

Law reflects minimum ethics & enforced by state

Moral orientation your consistent basis for making moral& ethical decisions. Eaxmples: Being a good person, duty,respect, look out for #1, divine command.

In short Morality is actions & beliefs

Ethics is thinking about moral actions & beliefs

Law reflects a minimum standard of ethics, but it

is not ethics

One persons right is another persons duty.

Ethical decision-making is affected by

Law

Morality

Values

Professional codes

What is Ethics? The explicit, philosophical

reflectionon moral beliefs andpractices.

The difference between ethicsand morality is similar to thedifference between musicologyand music. Ethics is a consciousstepping back and reflecting onmorality, just as musicology is aconscious reflection on music.

http://ethics.sandiego.edu/LMH/E2/Glossary.asp

What is morality?

Morality is behaviors & beliefs about human decency,

right/wrong, good/evil, proper/improper

When you find yourself saying ought to orshould

(Butts & Rich http://ethics.sandiego.edu/LMH/E2/Glossary.asp)

Review: Whats the difference?

Ethics

Philosophical

reflection on morality

Morality

behaviors & beliefsabout

human decency

right/wrong good/evil & proper/improper


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What is law?

Law reflects a minimum standard of ethics, butit is not ethics

Rules made by human beings to guide society& regulate human interactions that areenforceable to promote peaceful & productiveinteractions (Aiken, p. 98)

Ethics & Law: 4 quadrants

Actions can be:

Ethical & legal

Unethical & illegal

Ethical & illegal

Unethical and legal ( p. 5,Davis& Aroskar, 1991).

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

LEGAL

Yes No

Yes

No

ETHICAL

Check Point!

What is ethics?

What is law?

What is morality?

RIGHTS: Law & Ethics

Your right is someone elses obligation!

1. Legal rights are.?

2. Ethical rights are..?

What are Values?

Values are deeply held beliefs about what is good,right, and appropriate. Values are deep-seated andremain constant over time. We accumulate our

values from childhood based on teachings andobservations of our parents, teachers, religiousleaders, and other influential and powerful people.

Reference:http://personaldevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_are_values

_

Ethics & Values Our values are often similar to our breathing in that they

are taken for granted. We do not go through life

awarethat we are breathing.In the same manner, we

do not always realize that we have a given set of values or

that a decision is based on these values. We do not always

examine our values but simply accept them and act on

them. Again, as with breathing, we are are apt to think

about our values when something goes wrong, because we

then become more aware of them. (p. 19, Davis & Aroskar,1991)


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Values, thus morals & moral

orientation are affected by...

Gender Religion

Culture

Tradition

Family

Stage of development

Ethics & Healthcare:

Terminology

1. Biomedical ethics is determining whatshouldshouldbe done, what is right or goodin

healthcare issues.

2. Ethics classifications

Normative (what should be done) &

Descriptive (what persons actulaly do)

Nursing Ethics(Butts & Rich Chapters 1-2)

1. Because of unavoidable social connections,every person makes moral & ethical choices inlife that affect others.

2. The well-being of patients is the central focus ofnursing. This is emphasized in ANA Code

3. Nurses experience moral suffering a feeling ofanguish or uneasiness as they confront moraldilemmas or suffering

4. Nurses can move thru the suffering. toflourishing

ANA Code (1950/2005)

Nursing encompasses

Prevention of illness

Alleviation of suffering

Protection, promotion, &restoration of health in the careof individuals, families, groups& c ommunities.

Nurses act to change those aspectsof social structures that detractfrom health & well-being.Individuals who become nursesare expected not only to adhereto the ideals and moral norms ofthe profession but also toembrace them as part of what it

means to be a nurse.

AMA Code (2001)

The medical professionhas long subscribed to a

body of ethical statementsdeveloped primarily forthe benefit of the patient.As a member of this

profession, a physicianmust recognizeresponsibility to patientsfirst and foremost, as wellas to society, to otherhealth professionals, andto self.

An Ethical Dilemma

When it is unclear what action is right or good

That is.When moral claims conflict, creating

Conflict between rights or ethicalprinciples (Aiken) that seemsincapable of a satisfactorysolution. (Davis & Aroskar, 1991).

Ethical Decision-Making

(Aiken)

1. Collect information

2. State dilemma

3. List choices

4. Analyze pros & cons of each choice

5. Decide!


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Summary Morality is actions & beliefs

Ethics is thinking about moral actions & beliefs

Law reflects a minimum standard of ethics, but itis not ethics

One persons right is another persons duty.

Ethical decision-making is affected by

Law

Morality

Values

Professional codes

Summary Nursing codes provide standard for behavior.

They are not law.

Legal rights are based in law ethical rights inultimate principles & rules. Wants are not the

same as rights.

An action can be legal/ethical, legal/unethical,

illegal/ethical, illegal/unethical

Ethical dilemma = conflicting moral claims so that

no single right or good answer is clear

Do laws & codes make persons good?

Documents

Ethics and Philosophy