Developing a Personal Ethics Check
Part One:
Each time we make a decision that involves ethics or morals, we rely on our personal
standards of what is right and wrong. No matter how small the situation (finding a quarter on the
ground) or how large (deciding whether to pull the plug on a relative in a terminal vegetative
state), our brains must run the decision through a series of checks and balances we’ve created,
though we may not always be aware of it.
Today, you are being asked to think very consciously about what rules you’ve set up as
your personal ethics check. In other words, what guidelines do you follow when making a
decision that involves ethics?
You may have very few rules or very many— the choice is yours (though for this
assignment you must have a minimum of five). However, no matter how many rules you record,
they must be universally applicable— this means they will hold true in any situation without
exception.
Take time now to record your personal ethics check.
Part Two:
Pick up a copy of the Advanced Ethical Dilemmas worksheet and thoughtfully answer the
pertaining questions.
Part Three:
Meet with other students to discuss your answers from Part Two. Attempt to come to
as much of a consensus as possible on all three scenarios.