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Sample essay topic, essay writing: Ethic - 1060 words

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.. chooses according to circumstance, intuition and insight, rules, and reasoned judgment. Notice that the just decision flows from practical wisdom or prudence. That is why, among the cardinal virtues, prudence is first, and justice is second. Circumstances and outcomes matter; there are flashes of insight and "gut reactions" which should not be discounted; we do know some things, and we have developed some rules. But all these must be filtered through our education, our experience, our reason, our faith.

For universalists, ethical decisions can be wrenching and painful; but they are not released from taking action. "paralysis by analysis" is not an option. When action is required and decisions are needed, universalists deliberate about what to do based upon the underlying principle of military ethics: Always choose the greatest good for the greatest number-up to a point. But this is not an appeal to or on behalf of urilitarianism. Military officers indeed, most of us-can sometimes wisely use the idea of choosing between or among alternatives on the basis of "the good of many outweighs the good of the few or of the one. But there are some things so solemn and so sacred that such efforts at arithmetic ethics or mathematical morality are, of themselves, inadequate

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There are times that we can and must say that, regardless of the consequences, we cannot do this or that action. In other words, as we will see, there are points beyond which we will not go and certain lines which we will not cross. It is the virtue of prudence that allows us to discern these sacred points.6. as I will suggest in concluding section of this paper, universalism (which focuses upon the prudential habit of choosing well in situations where obligations conflict) allows us to speak, not only of good outcomes and judicious rules, but of good people. People do not exist for rules; rules exist for people.In the profession of arms, soldiers frequently, and sometimes dramatically, encounter conflicting obligations. What obligation, after all, can carry greater significance than the command "thou shall not kill"? Yet the soldier, when not killing the enemy, is preparing to do precisely that.

How, therefore, can soldiers be just or participate in justice? Soldiers must constantly weigh and balance competing claims upon their consciences. We call these competing claims "dueling duties." But the very notion of competing or dueling duties suggests that there are no absolutes having unrivaled ownership of the soldier's conscience. A number of people, reacting to this statement that there are few absolute obligations upon the soldier, will dismiss universalism as mere "relativism" such assessments are mistaken. Clearly, those moral obligations dealing with human act-types, like truth-telling, promise-keeping, preservation of life, respect for property of others, and so on, are not absolute obligations. Does that mean that they are relative obligations to be observed only when we find it expedient to do so? Certainly not. Let us return to South Kosan and the citizen deciding if he should tell the military officers the truth about the North Kosanese he is harboring in his basement. If telling the truth is absolute ("free from any restriction, limitation, or exception"), one's duty is to give away the North Kosanese.

Now listen to the counsel of a religious text: "The right to the communication of the truth in not unconditional." And: "No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it. Now imagine-in this example: a Officer, under fire, has orders to take the hill, an enlisted person refuses to fight, the officer gives the enlisted person a direct order to fight and take the hill, the enlisted person still refuses, the officer pulls out his gun, you either fight or I will shoot you, under fire and under pressure the officer kills the enlisted soldier. Should the officer be severely punished? Unverisalism counsels us that when action is necessary, one must act to serve the greater good in so far as he is able to discern it. The greater good in South Kosan was to lie. The greater good for the officer was to shoot the soldier. But to say "always do the greater good" while we think necessary advice, is not sufficient and is morally dangerous on that account.Military ethics is all about dueling duties.

It is all about competing claims. And it will never be easy to make clear moral choices. On an intelligence trip behind enemy lines, you and your patrol spotted a high raking officer of the enemy but he is with his family, and you know he just attacked you. Will you attack and kill him? Yes. "collateral damage is justified".We will close with a few observations about ethics.

There is a way to explain, briefly and pointedly, much of what we have said. Imagine a bridge. On one side of the bridge are our beliefs. On the others side of the bridge are our actions. We know that to be just, our actions should be consistent with our beliefs. If they aren't, we have failed.

We have been either moral cowards or hypocrites. So:1. We have to cross the bridge, "connecting" our beliefs with our actions. But that is not enough. The supports for our ethical bridge are faith, family, customs, laws, friends, associations, education, and so on.2.

We must have strong supports under our "ethical bridge" These supports include the moral virtues of justice, courage, and temperance to assure that we do not turn aside into actions that are inconsistent with our beliefs.3. A good bridge between beliefs and actions demands prudent "bridgekeepers" who know the difference between wise and foolish, just and unjust, virtuous and vicious.4. Do what effects or brings about the most good to the most people.5. Do what offers the most good to the most people up to a point.6. The ethical line we draw, with the help of those who have gone before and to help those who will come after, is our bridge between conscientious belief and courageous action.We then understand what Abraham Lincoln said in 1860: "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it." The bridge of prudence, built upon the support of justice, we carry virtuous beliefs into courageous action.

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