Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapter 12
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Introduction
Each person owes a duty to himself or herself and to the world to study ethics and to engage in thoughtful debate about what is right, and what is wrong. It is this habit of thinking about and reflecting on ethics that will help you determine the right choices when faced with an ethical dilemma.
Initial Post Instructions
Articulate a moral dilemma wherein one has to show a specific virtue or virtues (it can be any virtue or virtues including honesty, courage, charity/generosity, compassion, etc.)
- What is the moral dilemma about?
- What virtue or virtues should be shown? (You are here selecting the best course of action)
- Why is that virtue or those virtues to be shown?
- How should the virtue or virtues be expressed, and why in that manner?
- Apply Aristotle’s golden mean to the dilemma.
- Tell us how the dilemma involves conflict moral duties (loyalty to community versus to self, professional versus familial duties, national or personal obligations).
The dilemma must be a situation in which a choice has to be made.
Be sure you told us why your chosen course of action was best.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
- Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
- Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
- APA format for in-text citations and list of references
Answer 1:
Children need an enabling environment to develop to their potential. However, the 21st century is rife with cases of violence that inhibit this cardinal requirement. Gun violence is among the threats to young children today. According to Chang & Bushman (2017), video games offer an avenue of exposure to gun violence for children. The dilemma is helping to reduce the impact of gun violence on those children. Aristotle describes “that a virtue is a trait of character manifested in habitual action” (Rachels & Rachels, 2019).
The virtue should be shown in courage by asking parents and other stakeholders like teachers and caregivers to monitor the activity of the children under their care when they are playing video games. In this way, it will be possible to censure the gun-violent games to protect children, their peers, and future generations. In addition, another virtue should be shown generosity by rethinking the American gun control laws. Society should be responsible enough to understand these devastating consequences in order to protect the new generation by downsizing the number of access to guns as well as other additional risk factors.
Aristotle explains the golden mean as a schematic of virtues to be contrasted with an excess of the chosen virtue and the deficiency of it(Keats, 2014). With this in mind that recommended that although gun violence should be control, children often persuaded to show aggression because of their exposure to gun violence. This comes in the wake of many risk factors like uncontrolled access to guns and video games that are built around the theme of gun violence. Aggressive and violent children grow to become a danger to themselves and the rest of society.
Answer 2:
Hello Professor and Class,
A friend comes up to you and tells you about this new partner she met. Tells you how great he is and how well he treats her. You decided to meet this partner over dinner one night with your friend. You get to your seat and as you wait for them you realize its been about 20 minutes since they should’ve been there. They finally come in and sit down and neither are looking at each other, neither are laughing, and neither look happy when they say “hi”. The night goes on and you realize there is a bruise on the woman arm but you don’t ask about it in front of the guy incase he did it to her. The dinner ends and you both go your separate ways. You watch the man take her arm and pull her out of the restaurant and get into the car. You feel suspicious of verbal, mental, and physical abuse from the man to your friend and you give your friend a call once she gets home. “They think they have the right to control your life and your choices” (Paul & Farah, 2017). You tell her that quote in all honesty and trust and that this man is not right for her. She is being abused and is hiding behind the abuse because she “really likes” this guy at this point. Your honesty and trust upsets the friend because its not something she wanted to hear and was so excited about them meeting that she denies the bruise and the nonverbal abuse communication that happened at dinner. As a friend. you had to be honest and expect your friend to trust what you’re saying, in fear for the future and that it can become worse! “The concept of Aristotles theory of golden mean is represented in his work called Nicomachean Ethics, in which Aristotle explains the origin, nature and development of virtues which are essential for achieving the ultimate goal, happiness… which must be desired for itself” (Aquilieana, 2016). In this dilemma, Aristotle theory of the golden mean would be that the girl is just trying to be honest with her friend that this man isn’t the right one for her if all this abuse is going on. The abuse should not be stood and that the friend needs to trust her and leave before the abuse gets to the next level. I would say this dilemma is a personal obligation because she witnessed the abuse and she saw the bruise and she wants nothing to happy to her friend anymore and wants to protect her body and mind at all cost.