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A Framework For Ethical Decision Making

This document outlines a 13-step framework for ethical decision making. The framework involves recognizing an ethical issue, getting all relevant facts, evaluating alternative actions from various ethical perspectives like utility, rights, fairness, and virtue. It also involves making a decision by considering all perspectives, testing the decision, acting, and later reflecting on the outcome. The goal is to help people make ethical decisions by systematically working through relevant factors and perspectives.

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742 views2 pages

A Framework For Ethical Decision Making

This document outlines a 13-step framework for ethical decision making. The framework involves recognizing an ethical issue, getting all relevant facts, evaluating alternative actions from various ethical perspectives like utility, rights, fairness, and virtue. It also involves making a decision by considering all perspectives, testing the decision, acting, and later reflecting on the outcome. The goal is to help people make ethical decisions by systematically working through relevant factors and perspectives.

Uploaded by

farhan sultan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A Framework for Ethical Decision Making

Recognize an Ethical Issue

1. Is there something wrong personally, interpersonally, or socially? Could the


conflict, the situation, or the decision be damaging to people or to the community?

2. Does the issue go beyond legal or institutional


concerns? What does it do to people, who have dignity, rights, and hopes for a better
life together?

Get the Facts

3. What are the relevant facts of the case? What facts are unknown?

4. What individuals and groups have an important stake in the outcome? Do some
have a greater stake because they have a special need or because we have special
obligations to them?

5. What are the options for acting? Have all the relevant persons and groups been
consulted? If you showed your list of options to someone you respect, what would
that person say?

Evaluate Alternative Actions From Various Ethical Perspectives

6. Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm?

Utilitarian Approach: The ethical action is the one that will produce the greatest
balance of benefits over harms.

7. Even if not everyone gets all they want, will everyone's rights and dignity still be
respected?

Rights Approach: The ethical action is the one that most dutifully respects the
rights of all affected.

8. Which option is fair to all stakeholders?

Fairness or Justice Approach: The ethical action is the one that treats people
equally, or if unequally, that treats people proportionately and fairly.

9. Which option would help all participate more fully in the life we share as a family,
community, society?

Common Good Approach: The ethical action is the one that contributes most to
the achievement of a quality common life together.

10. Would you want to become the sort of person who acts this way (e.g., a person of
courage or compassion)?
Virtue Approach: The ethical action is the one that embodies the habits and
values of humans at their best.

Make a Decision and Test It

11. Considering all these perspectives, which of the options is the right or best thing to
do?

12. If you told someone you respect why you chose this option, what would that
person say? If you had to explain your decision on television, would you be
comfortable doing so?

Act, Then Reflect on the Decision Later

13. Implement your decision. How did it turn out for all concerned? If you had it to do
over again, what would you do differently?

This framework for thinking ethically is the product of dialogue and debate at the
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Primary contributors
include Manuel Velasquez, Dennis Moberg, Michael J. Meyer, Thomas Shanks,
Margaret R. McLean, David DeCosse, Claire André, and Kirk O. Hanson.

This article appeared originally in Issues in Ethics, V. 1, N. 2 (Winter 1988).

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