Discussion Questions from Reading Assignments 1/26/2000
 

Day, 3, Ethics and Moral Reasoning

1/ Day states that moral reasoning is a systematic approach to making ethical decisions.  What does this mean?
How does making a decision based on moral reasoning differ from making a decision based on personal taste?

2/ Day states that moral agents must consider the context within which the dilemma has arisen.  He further states that moral agents must understand the issue itself, the facts of the situation and the values, principles and moral duties inherent in the case.  How do you think newsroom culture might impact this process?

3/ Day outlines six philosophical foundations of moral theory.  Discuss and give an example of each type as practiced by media practitioners today.

1/ Virtue ethics, Aristotle, golden mean, middle ground

2/ Judeo-Christian Ethic, golden rule, love thy neighbor as thyself, respect for human beings

3/ Kant and Moral Duty-categorical imperative, apply morals universally, one has a duty to tell the truth, absolutist

4/ utiltitarianism-the best outcome for the greatest number of people, more concerned with consequences

5/ egalitarianism-all individuals should be treated equally, veil of ignorance, minority and majority views equal, goal is to minimize harm, the individual is most important consideration regardless of social or economic status

6/ relativism-what is right for one is not necessarily right for all, situation ethics, ethics decided on a case-by case basis

I'll add one more:
7/ hedonists-maximize pleasure at all costs, what is right for me is all that matters

4/ Day outlines three ethical theories in moral reasoning.  This is really a classification system of philosophical perspectives outlined above.  Explain and provide examples.

1/ Deontological (Duty Based) Theories.
-nonconsequentialists
-act on principle without worrying much about the consequences
-rules should be universally applied
-the ends do not justify the means
-absolutist
-very predictable, but suffer from rule conflict
-based on Kant's categorical imperative

2/ Teleological (Consequence Based) Theories
-best ethical decisions produce the best consequences
-egoists
-utilitarians
-most favorable outcome for the greatest number of people
-use any means for the best ends
-minimize harm
-more flexible than duty-based theories
-rely heavily on predicting outcomes
-overlook minority interests

3/ Virtue Theories-Aristotle's Golden Mean
-more concerned with character building
-golden mean
-finding the middle ground between both extremes
-do the right thing for the right consequence

5/ Critial Thinking Exercise.  Plug (map) each of the six philosophical foundations of moral theory into the model (table) below.  Where do you think each would logically fit?
 

Deontological (Duty Based)  Theories	Teleological (Consequence Based) Theories	Virtue Theories-Aristotle's Golden Mean
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.
.	.	.

5/ Explain Day's SAD Formula for anlayzing moral decisions.

The Situation Definition
-identify the ethical issue
-describe facts, principles and values that will have an impact on the decision
-identify conflicting principles and values
-clearly state the specific ethical issue or question involved

Analysis of the Situation
-discuss relative weights (pro and con) to be assigned to the competing principles and values
-consider factors external to the case situation itself that might influence the decision
-examine duties to various parties (individuals and groups) that may be affected by the decision
-discuss applicable ethical theories and apply them to the moral dilemma
-examine and discuss the issue from the perspectives of duty-based (deontological), consequence-based (teleology) and Aristotle's golden mean

Decision
-make the moral decision by stating what action you would recommend the moral agents take
-defend that action based on moral theory
-discuss you reasoning for making the decision based on the moral theory you chose to support it
-take a stand (don't waffle or straddle the fence)

Stauber, Ch. 1, Burning Books Before They're Printed

Discuss Day's SAD Formula in terms of Stauber's Chapter 1, Burning Books Before They're Printed.

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