APA Moral Compass Template - payne
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Feb 20, 2024
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My Moral Compass
Chandler Payne
American Public University PHIL 200
Steven Wyre
17 Jan. 2024
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My Moral Compass
Theories:
In this section discuss one, two, or three theories you feel you will use in your compass. Be sure to cite your resources and include the reference on the Works Cited page
I have discovered two primary moral theories that I feel govern and dictate my moral compass and they are as follows: 1.
Utilitarianism is thinking and weighing the consequences of your choices to make the
correct moral decision. You determine happiness or the suffering involved (Bradley, 2022)
2.
Relativism is when we produce and create our morals based on how we are raised and
the society around us. With these two factors, we base how we determine right and wrong. This can also create discourse given different societal influences. (Bradley, 2022)
Explanation:
Here is where you explain how the theories will guide your behavior in various settings. As a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the United States Air Force (USAF). I incorporate these two theories every single day in a multitude of ways. As an NCO I’m responsible for the management of over 30 Airmen. Utilitarianism and Relativism play a vital
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role in guiding different aspects of not only my decision-making skills but also my behaviors and
interactions with my fellow Airmen, subordinates, and superiors alike. Utilitarianism guides my consideration for the well-being, morale, and well-being of the troops under my charge. I must make appropriate decisions that benefit everyone equally and fairly such as assigning tasks and workloads for the day. In that circumstance, I must consider all
skills and abilities to ensure the workload isn’t too much for one person but is done properly and efficiently. Simultaneously I must also consider my troops’ safety minimizing risks and hazards. Relativism reminds me to be progressive and considerate of the diverse viewpoints of every person in my work center. I am forced to recognize how some decisions can cause conflict in each individual’s culture. Therefore I try to create an inclusive environment for each person to
thrive under. That is to include listening to their unique views and deciding how best they can contribute. This in turn fosters comradery and teamwork. Compass Applied:
Issue identified:
Here talk about which of the issues you want to analyze. Example, Election Ethics or Systemic Racism. The issue I wish to discuss has been a heated and very difficult topic, gun control. This has created much discord across this country for many years. There are many viewpoints associated but I feel two large topics in particular are often mentioned and that would be the following: individual rights to own weapons and the mass shootings that seem to increase yearly. While many believe more laws should be invoked to create tighter security around firearms and
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therefore implicating law-abiding citizens people must realize that these attacks are not the result
of those who follow these laws but rather those who could care less.
Identify the ethical issues:
The right to own personal weapons, in opposition to restricting weapons, has been an ethical issue for many years. Proponents of the right to own weapons have been backed and often
based upon the Constitution’s second amendment which is the right to bear arms. This perspective is based on the basic principles of Americans’ rights and their freedoms in this country. People wholly believe and will protect family, friends, and their possessions, ultimately falling under the umbrella of self-defense. Many would argue that these restrictions limit their abilities to utilize this constitutional right against criminals and those who choose to blatantly ignore the law. The opposite side of this coin, however, does present some very legitimate and concerning issues as well. People call to restrict and create more laws and processes that would make the purchase and ownership of a weapon. These restrictions are wanting to be implemented
in response to the ever-increasing mass shootings taking place nationwide. This perspective is based on a utilitarian viewpoint, which focuses on the happiness and safety of all as opposed to the few. They insist on more intricate background checks to include longer wait times, and restricting modifications, and weapon types to name a few. On one hand, there is a concern for a person’s constitutional rights, while on the other hand, there is the need to provide public safety and assist in the mitigation and prevention of harm. This predicament requires regard to possible outcomes and trade-offs involved. It involves
considering the value of individual rights to self-defense against the value of public safety to reduce and hopefully prevent mass shootings. In the end, this ethical outcome will be based
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solely on principles that we as a country will prioritize, and what we determine ethically outweighs the other.
Get the facts
Within reason, briefly discuss what you feel are the relevant facts. Be sure you can back up assertions with scholarly sources. Discuss relevant stakeholders. On December 14, 2012, in Newtown Connecticut, we beheld one of the largest mass shootings of the past two decades. It was also one of the earliest to call attention to the pandemic which is school shootings. On this day 20-year-old Adam Lanza would enter a school and shoot 20 young children as well as six school staff members. Before the shooting, Lanza had stolen the
weapons he used from his mother that he would later shoot before continuing to the school. (Buchanan, 2015) The incident was one of the most brutal shootings to date and would initiate many debates about gun control, ensuring stricter gun laws as well as more thorough background
checks to include mental health status as it was later discovered he was suffering from mental health issues of his own. Below is a statistic from a study on adolescent shooter showing how they acquired their weapons. “About 42% of adolescent school shooters obtained the firearm from relatives, mostly through theft. About 30% procured a firearm from the street or an illegal market, 22% did so from friends, 5% obtained one from a stranger or victim and 2% got one through a licensed dealer” (Jenco, 2023)
Evaluate alternative actions:
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Discuss which lens aligns with your compass and how it will help you find a solution. If you say your compass is Utilitarian and The Common Good, what direction do those lenses provide here? Multiple approaches can be reached utilizing Ulititarisim and Relativism. From the Ulitatarism standpoint, you could evaluate restriction and tighter regulation based on the consequences. So Ulitatarism focuses on minimizing harm which we could do if we take statistics from which weapons are more likely used in these attacks and cause higher risks of accident and focus on tighter restrictions while say a common handgun may have fewer restrictions. The other utilitarian option would be to consider public opinion and seek an overall consensus considering the accounts and concerns of the person(s) to determine the most acceptable approach to gun restrictions. From a relativist perspective would be to focus on gun restrictions in comparison to the communities and give the State more control over gun law restrictions while one state may be more against tighter restrictions the other may not be as inclined. Choose an option:
What do you feel your compass points you to as the best solution? If possible explain how you will be able to identify success.
I'm more inclined to let the individual state or even county have more control of gun law restriction and regulation based on which state may need more intricate and detailed restrictions as opposed to states that may not need those restrictions as thoroughly. The most obvious way to determine success is to locate the most extreme of states for each category for example the state that will allow open and concealed carry without a permit vs a state that may go as far as having
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full restrictions and as-needed permits. We would then use the statistics of firearm-related incidents like homicide, suicides, and most importantly mass shootings. Using long-term information gathering spanning from one month to up to five years and compiling that information to see the increase or decrease of crimes. Reflect on the outcome:
Based on all you have learned, discuss what you believe the outcome will be if you implement the option stated above.
Based on the studies and debates today I believe as each state is diverse, each state will be diverse in the laws created and their outcomes. Overall I would expect an overall decrease in firearm-related activities as each state would be able to set their restrictions in response to their threat level and act accordingly. As with any system and experiment, there will be outliers that must be considered and utilized to hopefully improve this system later on!
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References
Bradley, J. (2022, May 14). Which ideas of the enlightenment helped influence Democratic thought?
. The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey. https://www.theclassroom.com/ideas-enlightenment-helped-influence-democratic-thought-
6289.html Buchanan, L., Keller, J., Oppel, R. A., & Victor, D. (2015, October 3). How they got their guns
. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/03/us/how-mass-
shooters-got-their-guns.html Jenco, M. (2023, November 27). Study: Adolescent school shooters often use guns stolen from family
. Publications.aap.org. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/27379/Study-
Adolescent-school-shooters-often-use-guns?autologincheck=redirected Shultz, J. M., Muschert, G. W., Dingwall, A., & Cohen, A. M.
(2013).
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as tipping point: “This Time Is Different”.
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