Benchmark - Ethical Dilemmas Student A. Sample Grand Canyon University: CWV-301 Benchmark - Ethical Dilemmas In at least 65 words, complete your introductory paragraph with a thesis statement in which you will address each of the following six sections with at least one paragraph each. Ethical Dilemma In at least 75 words, briefly describe the ethical dilemma in your own words. Core Beliefs In at least 140 words, respond thoroughly to the questions in the assignment. Be sure to include citations. Resolution In at least 140 words, respond thoroughly to the questions in the assignment. Be sure to include citations. Evaluation In at least 140 words, respond thoroughly to the questions in the assignment. Be sure to include citations. Comparison In at least 140 words, respond thoroughly to the questions in the assignment. Be sure to include citations. Conclusion In at least 140 words, synthesize the main points, pulling the ideas of the paper together. Be sure to include citations. References Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), xxx-xxx. Retrieved from url/permalink with hyperlink removed Ethical Dilemmas Choose only one of the ethical dilemmas below to address in your essay. The questions at the end of each dilemma are intended for you to reflect on. For your paper, you must organize your writing using the sections and underlined titles listed on the assignment page. Do not copy the case study into your essay. 1. Pornography TJ secretly enjoys pornography. He gets a great deal of gratification out of viewing Internet pornography and masturbating, though he always acts behind closed doors and believes that his actions have no effect on others. He justifies his behavior by saying, "Who am I harming?" Then he discovers a statistic on the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking website (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/labour/Forced_labour/HUMAN_TRAFFICKI NG_-_THE_FACTS_-_final.pdf), stating that 43% of human trafficking victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98% are women and girls, and that the pornography business is a multibillion dollar industry (Global Initiative, n.d.). His freedom to view pornography is now at odds with harm to himself (addiction) and others (abuse through forced trafficking and media exploitation). (More information can be found at http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/may/may_17pornographycost.html, which is a report by William May called "The Social Costs of Pornography," provided by the Witherspoon Institute out of Princeton [May, 2010].) How should TJ respond? Should he maintain his lifestyle because of his freedom of choice, or should he change his behavior because of the harm done? What is his responsibility for the harm that the pornography industry can cause, even if he himself is not directly harming someone else? 2. Euthanasia Joni was 17 when she was swimming with friends in the Chesapeake Bay. She dove into the water, misjudging the depth, and fractured her vertebrae. This left her a quadriplegic, paralyzed from her shoulders down. As might be expected, she went into severe depression, even having serious thoughts of ending her life. Her quality of life was severely diminished. Her future looked horribly bleak. What could she ever hope to accomplish as a human being in such a weakened state? Why should she be forced to endure a life of suffering and hardship and be a burden to her family? Should her wishes to be euthanized be granted? What do you think? Should someone in her condition be permitted to have her life legally terminated? 3. Abortion After trying for many years, Susan finally gets pregnant. Unfortunately, a blood test confirms that her baby has Down syndrome, and her doctors suggest she abort the fetus. Susan has a successful career and wants to maintain a healthy balance between her career and family. Yet she feels very uncomfortable with abortion. She seeks some advice from Richard, an influential professor of evolutionary biology who has spent his career seeking to further human potential and minimize human suffering. When Susan asks Richard if she should abort the fetus or give birth to a baby with Down syndrome, Richard replied that human beings should increase happiness and decrease suffering in this world, and that, therefore, he would suggest that she abort, though he also stated that she must make this choice for herself. Richard emphasized the lifelong suffering of both the child with Down syndrome and Susan as the child's caretaker and stated that it may be immoral to bring a baby into the world if she knew the kind of suffering the child would experience. In fact, Richard suggested that perhaps the most ethical course of action would be to prevent this baby from living a life full of suffering. (This scenario is based on the following article by Richard Dawkins (2014): https://richarddawkins.net/2014/08/abortiondown-syndrome-an-apology-for-letting-slip-the-dogs-of-twitterwar/). How should Susan respond? What decision should she make if her baby would suffer with Down syndrome, yet she wants to have a baby? 4. Performance Enhancing Drugs As a successful young athlete, Paul has been working hard in the weight room and on the field, and he has earned a starting position on his team. As his team develops, some members of his team have been experimenting with a new performance-enhancing drug and have seen remarkable results. The drug is not a banned substance, largely because it is not widely known, and Paul has seen it work for several of his teammates, who remind Paul of the remarkable fact that this drug cannot be traced by any drug test available. Paul wants to succeed but is finding he may be left behind by those who are getting bigger and faster. The coach seems to be aware of the drug use but has turned a blind eye to it because the team has been winning so far and the drug is technically not an illegal substance yet. Paul was just told by his coach that some changes may be taking place and he may lose his starting position. His friend offered him a sample of the drug to "catch up" with the others. What should his response be in regard to legal, physical, and spiritual implications? 5. Religious Tolerance In September 2014, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship was "derecognized" by the 23 public California State University schools because the Christian organization requires its leaders to hold Christian beliefs. Tina is a volunteer leader of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at a particular public university. The new university policy requires that recognized campus groups have a nondiscrimination policy that says an organization cannot require its leaders to hold any particular beliefs (Stetzer, 2014). Being a recognized group is important to Tina, since it affects such circumstances as free access to meeting rooms, advertisements at University sponsored events, and official engagement with faculty and students. Tina believes that student leaders must hold to essential Christian beliefs for the sake of the group's purpose, though InterVarsity has always welcomed anyone from any faith background to be a part of the group. Yet the University system requires all recognized campus groups to sign a state-mandated nondiscrimination policy stating that both membership and leadership positions are open for anyone, whether they support the beliefs of the group or not (Winston, 2014). How should Tina respond to the university leadership, if at all? What changes should Tina make to her chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, if any? References Dawkins, R. (2014, August 21). Abortion & Down syndrome: An apology for letting slip the dogs of Twitterwar [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://richarddawkins.net/2014/08/abortion-down-syndrome-an-apology-for-letting-slipthe-dogs-of-twitterwar/ Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking. (n.d.). Human trafficking: The facts. Retrieved from https://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/labour/Forced_labour/HUMAN_TRA FFICKING_-_THE_FACTS_-_final.pdf May, W. E. (2010). The social costs of pornography. Retrieved from http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/may/may_17pornographycost.html Stetzer, E. (2014, September 6). InterVarsity "derecognized" at California State University's 23 campuses: Some analysis and reflections. Christianity Today. Retrieved from http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/september/intervarsity-nowderecognized-in-california-state-universit.html Winston, K. (2014, September 10). InterVarsity, college Christian group "de-recognized" at California State University campuses. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/09/intervarsity-sanctioned-california-stateuniversity_n_5791906.html Directions for Ethical Dilemma Essay Below is an abbreviated (800 words and one citation) essay to use as an example of the flow of thought for your essay. For the actual assignment, you will need to expand more and cite additional resources as instructed. This example is based on the following case study: At the real estate office where JR works, a woman from out of town calls and asks him to list her deceased father's home. She tells him she is concerned only in selling it quickly and will be happy to get $70,000 for it. JR does a quick assessment of the house and determines that it is worth at least $100,000. He also realizes that it would be a perfect place for his son who just started looking for a small house he could afford. Do not copy the case study you choose onto your essay page. Use the "Ethical Dilemma Essay Template" provided. For great sources like the one used here, be sure to use the directions on "Navigating the GCU Library for CWV Benchmark Research" linked in the syllabus. Include the permalink for each source. The following is an example of an Ethical Dilemma Essay. * * * * Benchmark - Ethical Dilemmas People face ethical dilemmas all through their lives, some minor with few consequences, and others major with large, sometimes unexpected negative consequences. How they navigate their way through these dilemmas is influenced by their worldview and has an impact on shaping their worldview. A real estate ethical dilemma will be examined from the perspective of the Christian worldview and compared to how an atheist might approach it. Ethical Dilemma This case involves a man, JR, responding to a woman who has contacted him as her real estate agent to sell her father's house. She is anxious to sell it for $70,000. After JR looks at the house he realizes that it would be just right for his son who needs a small house, but he determines that it is actually worth at least $100,000. The dilemma is that he could easily save his son $30,000 and get him this nice house, but to do so would be to take advantage of the woman who owns it. To resolve the dilemma he could do one of the following: (a) either have his son purchase the house for the asking price of $70,000, allowing the woman to assume that this is the value, or (b) inform the woman that the house is really worth $100,000 and mention that his son is willing to purchase for the full asking price. Core Beliefs One of the Christian worldview's core beliefs is the eighth commandment that says, "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15 NIV). Since the house is worth $30,000 more than the woman thinks it is worth, if JR sells it for her at the lower price he may in essence be stealing from her. Another core belief is the ninth commandment that forbids lying (Exod. 20:16). In order to sell the house to the woman at the lower value, he would have to convince her, or at least deceive her into thinking that what she wants from the house ($70,000) is a reasonable value. In addition, Christians are to follow the Golden Rule of Jesus from Matthew 7:12, which says, "Do to others what you would have them do to you." In this case, JR might ask himself if he were the homeowner, what would he want the real estate agent to do? Resolution Based on the Scripture passages referred to above, it seems the Christian thing to do would be for JR to explain to the woman that her house is worth more than $70,000 and inform her of the fair market value of the house. He could then offer to her that if she is willing to sell it at the lower price right away, his son may be interested in purchasing it. This way it still allows room for God to bless the transaction in JR's favor but also opens the door for God to bless the seller with additional funds. Evaluation As a result of JR's honesty, the woman might choose to list the house for $100,000, which, being too high a price for his son to afford, would mean that he would not get the house. The benefit would be that JR could rest assured that his client is getting a fair deal and is satisfied with his honest work ethic. He could also sleep well, knowing that he did the right thing, as Jesus would do. Comparison If JR was an atheist, the dilemma might be resolved very differently. Atheism, since it is not founded on a standard of absolute moral truth, would allow JR to decide for himself if this situation constituted theft and deception. JR could feel justified thinking, if the woman gets what she wants (selling the house quickly for $70,000), and he gets what he wants (a great house for his son), then it is a win-win proposition. In this ethical dilemma, one's worldview could make a major difference. The Christian worldview should compel JR to trust God and follow the teachings of the Bible, while atheism may allow him to justify his own self-interests to insure getting a good deal for his son. Such justification might sound like this: "And indeed, experience tells us that locally capitalized neighborhood markets do sustain their own rational order founded as they are upon an interlocking system of self-interested exchange" (Whybrow, 2010, para. 13). There could be an unintended consequence, however, if the woman should discover the true value of the house and realize that she was deceived into selling at a low price. She might react by taking the realtor to court. Conclusion This real estate dilemma, with the temptation to be opportunistic and take advantage of someone else for gain, causes JR to wrestle with staying true to his core beliefs. For Christians this may be a kind of test of faith to trust God as they consider if they are choosing to live their beliefs or allow their selfishness to gain the upper hand. It is the kind of challenge that people face often throughout their lives, and the choices they make continue to shape their true worldview. References Whybrow, P. C. (2010). The addictive striving for wealth has negative social repercussions. In R. D. Lankford, Jr. (Ed.), At issue. Are America's wealthy too powerful? Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Dangerously addictive, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2009, March 13) Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010719216/O VIC?u=canyonuniv&xid=3b8b0084
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