The Ethical Dilemma of Prioritizing Personal Needs over Institutional Values

Abstract

Institutional Affiliation 24th April 2021 Personal Ethical philosophy Initial Post In the world today, it is difficult to determine what our ethical choices are based on. Some ethical choices we make everyday are based on the balance between social good versus social evil while others derive ethical choices from religious convictions, the societal expectations or honourable institutions (Burnor & Raley, 2011). Many philosophers claim that ethical choices shift basing on a situation an individual is facing. Take for instance the case of John Doe where his situation is the pressure to pass exams and save money. This situation pushes Doe to make the choice of using an app to download copyright books while disregarding the effects of his action to the publishers. The interpretation of Doe’s situation will be the outcome of my personal ethical philosophy. In relation to utilitarianism, the use the app by John Doe to download copyrights books will provide happiness which means his actions are justified so long as he will be happy with the outcome of using the Cloak. The concept of utilitarianism sees the world in a way that happiness should be equal despite its source and it is the only component in utilitarianism that is characterised with fundamental value (Hruschka & Joachim, 1991). Using the cloak will enable Doe to pass his exams and also save money and this outcome will make him happy. He is right when I base my arguments according to philosophy of utilitarianism. In conclusion, my personal ethical philosophy views the actions of John Doe as ethical since the outcome of using the Cloak will make him very happy. It is pointless to value something that does not generate pleasure or happiness. Utilitarianism supports this argument by asserting that general happiness is best achieved when every individual focus strictly of themselves. Response It is important to address personal ethics especially under different conditions. Talking about making the...