In philosophy, ethical dilemmas, also called ethical paradoxes or moral dilemmas, are situations in which an agent is subject to two (or more) contradictory moral requirements, neither of which prevails over the other. A closely related definition characterizes ethical dilemmas as situations where every available choice is wrong. The term is also used in a broader sense in everyday language to refer to ethical conflicts that can be resolved, psychologically difficult decisions, or other types of difficult ethical problems. This article deals with ethical dilemmas in the strictly philosophical sense, which are often referred to as true ethical dilemmas. Various examples have been proposed, but there is disagreement as to whether these are real or apparent ethical dilemmas. The central debate on ethical dilemmas is whether there are any. Defenders often cite obvious examples, while their opponents usually aim to show that their existence contradicts very fundamental ethical principles. Ethical dilemmas arise in different ways. An important distinction concerns the difference between epistemic dilemmas, which give the agent of an insoluble conflict a perhaps false impression, and real or ontological dilemmas.
There is a broad consensus that there are epistemic dilemmas, but the main interest in ethical dilemmas takes place at the ontological level. Traditionally, philosophers have argued that the absence of ethical dilemmas is a prerequisite for good moral theories. But this assumption has been questioned in contemporary philosophy. Another type of reasoning starts from the nature of moral theories. According to various authors, it is a prerequisite for good moral theories that they guide action by being able to recommend what should be done in each situation. [14] However, this is not possible when it comes to ethical dilemmas. These intuitions about the nature of good moral theories thus indirectly support the assertion that there are no ethical dilemmas. [4] [1] Ethical dilemmas are sometimes defined not as conflicting obligations, but by the fact that they do not have the right course of action and that all alternatives are bad. [1] The two definitions are equivalent for many, but not all, purposes. For example, it is possible to claim that in case of ethical dilemmas, the agent is free to choose one of two approaches that any alternative is correct. Such a situation always poses an ethical dilemma according to the first definition, since contradictory requirements are not resolved, but not according to the second definition, since there is a correct course of action. [1] The difference between self-imposed ethical dilemmas and ethical dilemmas imposed by the world concerns the source of the conflicting demands.
In the event that it has imposed itself, the agent itself is responsible for the conflict. [4] [2] A common example in this category is the fulfillment of two incompatible promises,[15] for example, participation in two events that take place simultaneously in remote locations. In the case imposed by the world, on the other hand, the agent is thrown into the dilemma without being responsible. [4] The difference between these two types is relevant to moral theories. Traditionally, most philosophers have believed that ethical theories should be free of ethical dilemmas, that moral theories that allow or imply the existence of ethical dilemmas are somehow imperfect. [4] In a weak sense, this prohibition is directed only against the dilemmas imposed by the world. This means avoiding all the dilemmas of agents who strictly follow the moral theory in question. Only agents who deviate from the recommendations of the theory can find themselves in ethical dilemmas. But some philosophers have argued that this requirement is too weak, that moral theory should be able to provide guidance in any situation. [15] This current of thought follows the intuition that it is irrelevant to know how the situation occurred, how one reacts to it. [4] So e.B.
If the agent finds himself in the ethical dilemma he has imposed on himself of having to choose which promise to break, there should be considerations as to why it is right to break one promise and not the other. [15] Utilitarians might argue, for example, that it depends on which broken promise causes the least harm to all parties involved. These are the basic tests to find out if what you are doing is right or wrong. However, you are often faced with situations where you find yourself in a conflict between two good things. There may be different approaches to thinking about ethical decision-making, although struggling with these dilemmas can give you a headache: The following approaches to solving an ethical dilemma have been derived: Ethical dilemmas include two options for action, both of which are mandatory but at odds with each other: it is not possible to perform both actions. In the regular cases of a single agent, a single agent has two contradictory obligations. [18] In cases involving several agents, the measures are always incompatible, but the obligations affect different people. [4] For example, two participants who participate in a contest may both have a duty to win if they have promised their families to do so. These two obligations, which belong to different people, are in contradiction with each other, because there can only be one winner. Ethical dilemmas are especially important in professional life, as they often occur in the workplace.
Some companies and professional associations (p.B CFACPA vs CFAWhenwhenvosyou®are considering a career in corporate finance or financial markets, you will often hear people ask, „Should I get a CPA or CFA?“ and „What could be better?“ In this article, we will describe the similarities and differences between CPA and CFA designations and try to point you in the right direction by adhering to their own codes of conduct and ethical standards. Violation of the norms may result in disciplinary sanctions. To solve ethical problems, companies and organizationsTypes of organizationsThis article on different types of organizations examines the different categories into which organizational structures can fall. Organizational structures should develop strict ethical standards for their employees. Each company must demonstrate its concerns about ethical standards within the organization. In addition, companies can offer ethical training to their employees. On the other hand, ethical dilemmas are extremely complicated challenges that cannot be easily solved. Therefore, the ability to find the optimal solution in such situations is crucial for everyone. Anyone can encounter an ethical dilemma in almost every aspect of their life, including personal, social and professional, the term professional refers to anyone who earns a living by engaging in an activity that requires a certain level of education, skills or training. Ethical questions arise when a particular decision, scenario or activity creates a conflict with the moral principles of a society.
Individuals and companies can be involved in these conflicts, as any of their activities could be ethically challenged. Individuals are prone to these problems in their relationships with other people or in their relationships with organizations, and the same goes for organizations. This test makes you wonder, „What would Mom think if she knew?“ Putting yourself in the shoes of another person (who cares a lot about you) will give you a better idea of what you`re doing. The main interest in ethical dilemmas concerns the ontological level: whether there really are insoluble conflicts between moral requirements, and not only if the agent believes it. [11] At the ontological level, most theoretical disagreements also arise, as proponents and opponents of ethical dilemmas generally agree that there are epistemic ethical dilemmas. [4] This distinction is sometimes used to argue against the existence of ethical dilemmas by asserting that all apparent examples are in fact epistemic in nature. In some cases, this can be demonstrated by how the conflict is resolved once the relevant information is available. But there may be other cases where the agent is unable to obtain information that would solve the problem, sometimes called stable epistemic ethical dilemmas. [10] [4] Faced with an ethical consideration, we must be clear about the values at stake.
We must also recognize how easy it is to reject one of the values or justify dishonesty because we want to avoid unpleasant confrontations. We do it by thinking about things like „Everyone is doing it“ or „I`m going to do it one last time.“ When people encounter these difficult choices, ethical failure rarely occurs because of temptation, but simply because choosing one of the contradictory actions means sacrificing a principle they believe in. We observe that ethical dilemmas can be characterized by the following three elements: Ethical dilemmas are situations in which an agent is subject to two (or more) conflicting ethical requirements, neither of which prevails over the other. Two ethical requirements are at odds if the agent can do one or the other, but not both: the agent must choose one or the other. Two contradictory ethical requirements do not prevail over each other if they have the same force or if there is no sufficient ethical reason to choose one over the other. [1] [2] [3] Only this type of situation presents an ethical dilemma in the strictly philosophical sense, often called a real ethical dilemma. [4] [5] Other cases of ethical conflicts can be resolved and therefore strictly speaking no ethical dilemma. .
