My Ethics....

Media Ethics: Into the pot, already boiling...

Monday, January 30, 2006

Roots digging deeper...
I was raised in a religious setting. In my home my parents did not tolerate anything that was unkind or that "lacked character". The golden rule....You bet! I can't count how many times I heard, "How would you feel if the table was turned and you were on the receiving end of this injustice?" Kant's ideal of respecting others was prevalent in our home as well. I didn't have to agree with other's thoughts or ideas but I had to respect them simply because they were their own. On the other side of the coin, being the baby of eight children, I also adopted some egoistic attitudes. I looked out for number one and occasionally threw out Kant's idea to never use people. My brothers and sisters were instrumental (used) at times in my quest to appear the perfect little girl. Today my attitudes are more duty-based. When it comes to making decisions I feel that each situaton is unique. All aspects of that situation need consideration and exploration. I like the pluralistic theory of Willam David Ross and his ethical claims (duties). This theory lets these duties vie for priority when a good decision needs to be made. As Nancy pointed out in last week's lecture, some duties may conflict and to fulfill one obligation then you may have to break another. I like rules. I like absolute rules but I also like to contrast many different ideas in decision-making. Each situation is conditional and one "tried and true" rule isn't always applicable.