Your Personal Moral Theory
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Egerton University *
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Philosophy
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Nov 24, 2024
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docx
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Your Personal Moral Theory
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Your Personal Moral Theory
Written Reflection
I formulated a virtue ethics approach in my moral theory from week eight, which
highlights the need of building positive character traits in individuals in order to have a
successful and satisfying life (Rachels & Rachels, 2019). Therefore, to live a morally good life, I
feel that fostering characteristics such as honesty, integrity, and responsibility is necessary.
Additionally, I feel that ethics is about becoming a decent person by continuous thought and
practice, not merely obeying laws or ideas. Consequentialism and deontology are two ethical
theories that I feel best relate to my virtue ethics approach. Consequentialism maintains that an
action's morality should be assessed based on its outcomes or repercussions, whereas deontology
holds that acts are essentially right or evil based on specific principles or rules (Rachels &
Rachels, 2019). Relating my personal moral philosophy to Jane Doe's situation, I feel her acts
were immoral from the standpoint of virtue ethics. Jane's behaviors included lying, cheating, and
rejecting her own religious teachings, all of which are attributes that I feel are vital for living a
successful and fulfilling life. Cheating and employing paid services to accomplish assignments
are both instances of cheating that contradict the concept of honesty. It is also unjust to other
students who have worked hard to finish their tasks. While I recognize Jane may have
experienced financial difficulties and scheduling restrictions, I do not feel this justifies her
immoral behavior. Instead, I feel Jane should have taken responsibility for her own learning and
sought methods to seek guidance or better manage her time without resorting to cheating.
Some of these cases involve more grave ethical violations than others. Copying and
copying work from a website without documentation is more unethical than uploading a blank
sheet of paper or reusing earlier work. All of these behaviors, however, are kinds of cheating and
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violate academic integrity. Based on the gravity of Jane's ethical violations, it is vital to
remember that all of her activities were unethical and breached academic integrity rules. Some
may claim that certain actions were more terrible than others. For example, in week three, hiring
someone to produce a fresh essay for her is probably more serious than copying and pasting
work from a prior course in week six. This is due to the fact that hiring someone to produce a
fresh essay is a conscious and planned act of cheating, whereas copying from a prior course may
be considered a failure in judgment or a misunderstanding of academic norms. Thus, in
comparison to other activities, presenting a blank document in week five may be considered a
minor infringement. Also, the prospective implications of these activities should be considered.
Copying and pasting material from another source, for example, without proper citation can
result in plagiarism indictments, which can have major ramifications for a student's academic and
professional future (Tomasello, 2020). In contrast, submitting a blank paper may result in just a
minimal penalty, such as a grade reduction. It is crucial to remember, however, that all of these
behaviors are breaches of academic integrity and hence equally unethical. Lastly, it is critical to
evaluate Jane's underlying motivations and reasoning. While it is understandable that Jane is
under financial duress and striving to manage employment and school, these circumstances do
not excuse her unethical actions. Additionally, her contempt for her religion's anti-cheating
principles shows that her acts may be motivated by a lack of personal moral standards or an
inability to comprehend the ethical consequences of her conduct. Besides that, while certain
behaviors may be considered more serious than others, all of Jane's actions were unethical and
violated academic integrity rules.
When recommending a course of social action and a solution to dealing with learners like
Jane, it is critical to evaluate several ethical theories to guide the decision-making process. One
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way is to employ egoistic ethics, which stresses self-interest and personal gain as main
motivators of ethical action (Bleazby, 2020). The basic argument from an egoistic standpoint is
that cheating is unethical because it undermines the fairness of the academic system and devalues
the achievements of those who have studied hard and followed the rules. As a result, increasing
the sanctions for academic dishonesty and developing a more comprehensive monitoring system
to dissuade cheating might be a strategy to dealing with students like Jane. Utilitarianism, which
tries to maximize social and emotional wellbeing and reduce suffering for the greatest number of
individuals, is another ethical philosophy that may be applied to Jane's case. In this sense,
academic dishonesty is unethical since it damages the academic community as a whole and
undermines the educational system's credibility. The "veil of ignorance" strategy, which tries to
reduce bias and enhance justice by thinking that people do not know their own place in society, is
a third ethical theory that may be applied to Jane's scenario. Academic dishonesty is unethical in
this scenario because it contradicts the ideals of fairness and honesty and creates an uneven
playing field that favors certain groups of students.
Oral Presentation
Taking an ethics course has been an eye-opening experience for me. I was not sure what
to anticipate from this course at first, but I was eager to learn about the ethical concepts and
paradigms that govern human conduct. As we investigated the many ethical theories and their
applicability to real-world circumstances, I became more involved and interested in the subject. I
discovered that ethics is more than simply an intellectual exercise; it affects our daily life and
interactions with others. Throughout this semester, I have had countless discussions with my
classmates, and these encounters have been essential in refining my knowledge of ethical
dilemmas. From these discussions, I have realized how important it is to listen to people and be
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open to diverse points of view. I am able to observe how much I have progressed and changed as
a result of my experiences in this course. At the start of the course, I was primarily concerned
with individual responsibility and personal integrity. Yet, as we worked through the material, I
became more aware of the larger social and cultural contexts that influence ethical conduct. I
now realize that ethical decision-making is impacted by cultural norms, power dynamics, and
other elements in addition to norms or standards.
In terms of my participation in discussions, I have attempted to be an active participant
by offering my own points of view and listening to those of my peers. I have also attempted to
ask insightful questions and give constructive criticism to others. In addition, I have learnt to be
more courteous of opposing opinions and to approach debates with an open mind as a result of
these exchanges. It is vital, in my opinion, for healthcare staff to attend an ethics course.
Healthcare personnel are frequently confronted with complicated ethical quandaries, and they
must be prepared with the knowledge and skills to properly navigate these circumstances. By
completing an ethics course, healthcare workers may gain a better grasp of the ethical principles
that guide their work and learn how to apply these ideas in real-world settings. Apart from the
practical benefits of attending an ethics course, I feel it is critical for healthcare workers to
engage with ethical concerns on a personal and moral level. Healthcare is ultimately about caring
for others, and ethics are important to this care. Reflecting on one's own ethical ideals and views
can help healthcare personnel build a stronger sense of empathy and compassion for their
patients, as well as approach their work with more sensitivity and understanding.
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References
Bleazby, J. (2020). Fostering moral understanding, moral inquiry & moral habits through
philosophy in schools: a Deweyian analysis of Australia’s Ethical Understanding
curriculum. Journal of curriculum studies, 52(1), 84-100.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220272.2019.1650116
Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2019). The Elements of Moral Philosophy (9th Edition). McGraw-
Hill Education.
Tomasello, M. (2020). The moral psychology of obligation. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43,
e56. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-
sciences/article/abs/moral-psychology-of-
obligatio/32001D22714B9F8ED00D9F1AB2BF254D
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