Question

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each four models (Philosopher's approach, Josephson Institute of ethics' model, Twelve questions model and steps to the ethical decision making model) and how can you combine them all to make ethical decisions?

Answer 1

The first model i.e. the Philosopher's approach derives its strength from the ethical standards that it believes in. The ethical standards are the utilitarian approach, rights approach, common good approach and the virtue approach. Thus the Philosopher's approach has a strong guide for ethical decision making. In terms of weakness this model suffers from the weakness that not everyone will objectively agree on what is ‘harm’ and what is ‘good’. Secondly not everyone will agree on the same set of human rights and what common good is.

The second model i.e. Josephson Institute of ethics' model derives its strength from its steps i.e. stop and think, clarify goals, determine facts, develop options, consider consequences, choose, and monitor/modify. These steps enable a person to determine the best course of action in a systematic and tangible manner. In terms of weaknesses this model suffers from the fact that it is not always easy to brainstorm all possible options and solutions. As such it is not always possible to determine the consequences of the probable course of action.

The third model i.e. Twelve questions model derives its strength from its simplicity. This model takes a simple approach to ethical decision making and hence it is always easy to use to get the outcome and reframe one’s perspective as per the requirement. In terms of weakness this model suffers from the weakness that determination of symbolic potential of one’s actions can sometimes be misleading and can often be misunderstood.

The last model i.e. Steps to ethical decision making model derives its strength from the fact that decision making process is a step by step process and hence tends to be more structural in nature. This model is quite similar to the twelve questions model and its weakness is also the same. So the weakness of this model is that determination of symbolic potential of one’s actions can sometimes be misleading and can often be misunderstood.

All the four models can be combined to make ethical decisions. The objective of each model is the same and hence it will be convenient to use the salient features of each model to develop a framework for ethical decision making. The salient features of the four models can be combined to develop a tool that will guide in making good decisions based on ethical considerations. By combining all the models we can overcome their weaknesses and this will enable us to make better ethical decisions.