Ethical dilemmas

Definition

Ethical dilemmas are situations in which individuals face conflicting moral principles, making it challenging to determine the right course of action. These dilemmas often arise when values, duties, or character traits are at odds, requiring careful consideration and decision-making to navigate the complexities of the situation.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Ethical dilemmas often involve a conflict between two or more ethical principles, such as honesty versus loyalty or individual rights versus the greater good.
2. In biotechnology, ethical dilemmas can arise regarding genetic manipulation, patient consent, and equitable access to treatments.
3. Resolving ethical dilemmas requires critical thinking and an understanding of the underlying ethical theories that inform decision-making.
4. The outcome of an ethical dilemma can significantly impact stakeholders involved, including patients, families, and society at large.
5. Effective resolution of ethical dilemmas often involves collaboration among multidisciplinary teams to gather diverse perspectives and insights.

Review Questions

• How do ethical dilemmas highlight the challenges of applying deontological ethics in real-world situations?
  • Ethical dilemmas showcase the difficulties faced when strict adherence to duty-based ethics encounters conflicting obligations. In such situations, individuals must weigh their duties against one another, leading to potential moral conflicts. For instance, a healthcare professional might struggle between the duty to protect patient confidentiality and the obligation to report a serious threat to public safety. This illustrates how deontological ethics can become complicated when multiple duties are at play.
• Discuss how virtue ethics informs decision-making in ethical dilemmas and its implications for personal integrity.
  • Virtue ethics emphasizes character and moral virtues in guiding decisions during ethical dilemmas. When faced with a difficult choice, individuals are encouraged to consider what a virtuous person would do in similar circumstances. This approach promotes personal integrity by fostering habits that align with moral excellence. For example, a researcher may grapple with whether to disclose negative findings about a product; virtue ethics would suggest they prioritize honesty and transparency over personal or corporate gain.
• Evaluate how principlism can be applied to navigate ethical dilemmas within the biotechnology sector, considering its four pillars.
  • Principlism offers a framework for addressing ethical dilemmas by incorporating four key pillars: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. In biotechnology, these principles guide decisions around issues like informed consent for clinical trials. For instance, ensuring patient autonomy respects their rights while beneficence emphasizes promoting their well-being. By balancing these principles, stakeholders can address complex ethical issues like equitable access to treatments while minimizing harm and maximizing benefits for all affected individuals.

Related terms

Moral Absolutism: The belief that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong, regardless of the context or consequences.

Consequentialism:

An ethical theory that judges the rightness or wrongness of actions based on their outcomes or consequences.

Autonomy: The principle that individuals have the right to make their own choices and decisions based on their personal values and beliefs.