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Ethical Decisions are Everywhere<\/h2>\n

The homeless guy I walked past. The hamburger I ate and the tip I left. The verbally abusive parent on the subway that I ignored. The $20 bill I found in the back of a cab. The elections.<\/p>\n

Life, at work and at home, is full of ethical decisions, choices about how we ought to behave. Sometimes the answers are obvious. Often, the answers become less clear the more we think about them.<\/p>\n

Are there moral facts or is ethics just about feelings? Are there objective and universal truths or are moral values merely social conventions? I think these are false choices: ethics can be at the same time facts and feelings, universal and local.<\/p>\n

An Ethical Algorithm<\/h2>\n

But let’s think practically.<\/p>\n

When I’m faced with a moral dilemma, and I have the luxury of time to think about it, I look at it from three perspectives. I give each a vote to avoid a tie: Aristotle, Kant and Mill. I also remember the empathetic wisdom of Rev. Stephanie Spellers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Aristotle is associated with virtue ethics. We ought to build good habits of character so that following rules is natural. Wisdom, courage, temperance and justice are the four cardinal virtues. Would performing an act make me virtuous? In other words, would it make me a mensch<\/a> (a person of integrity and honor)?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Then I “ask” Immanuel Kant. He’s associated with duty ethics. These are rules we must follow regardless of the consequences. For example, there is Kant’s categorical imperative that I must treat people as an end in themselves not as a means to an end.  The ten commandments are another example. Will the act I’m considering be consistent with the rules?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Third, I tap my inner John Stuart Mill, a leading proponent of utilitarianism. Will the act’s benefits exceed its costs? I try to limit the discount I apply to benefits\/costs that occur far in the future or, if I’m being honest, people I care less about. So I ask whether the act increases my and the world’s welfare.<\/p>\n

Being Bravely Ethical<\/h2>\n

\"spellers\"But I’m not done yet. I know how subtle and automatic biases can be. So I also engage my empathy for others affected by my decision. I heard an amazing TEDx talk<\/a> this past weekend by Stephanie Spellers<\/a>, “How to Truly Listen”, which made me vow to “listen bravely” to people with whom I disagree.1<\/sup> Then, if the majority of philosophers in my head vote for it, I go for it.<\/p>\n

Reasonable Short-Cuts<\/h2>\n

Of course, sometimes we don’t have time to make a thoughtful analysis. In these cases, I rely on heuristics, short-cuts like the golden rule or whether I’d be proud to have my act described on the front page of the New York Times or to my children.<\/p>\n

That #$@&%*! Subway Panhandler<\/h2>\n
\"1473700956377-639402853\"
NYC MTA Subway Poster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So here’s how the voting goes down for me and the panhandler I run into on the subway. Should I give them a buck?<\/p>\n