Topic > An Overview of Ethical Dilemma in a Personal Case

Index Ethical Dilemma Result Analysis of Answer Virtue Ethics and My Answer Application of Different Ethical Theories Conclusion Ethics is the result of human interpretation of right and wrong. One's ethical vision will guide one's behavior in a multitude of different situations. However, not everyone formulates their ethical framework in the same way. Various views on religion, society, and good and evil itself will have a direct impact on the creation of ethics in an individual. (Heinrichs, Oser, & Lovat, 2013) Sometimes, the situation will help dictate what type of ethical theory should be used. Considering all of this information, the following essay will examine a personal ethical dilemma before explaining how it was resolved and how the resolution may have been influenced by the application of different ethical theories. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Ethical Dilemma The ethical dilemma I will focus on for this article occurred to me about a year ago. I was in Atlanta visiting family for the weekend. Late at night, I was walking with my sister along an almost deserted street, when we heard a rustling in an alley. We looked down the alley and saw a large man repeatedly punching and kicking a woman, calling her several terrible names at the same time. Even though my first instinct was to go and help her, my sister grabbed my arm and encouraged me to call the police. I knew that if we called the police, it would take them some time to get to the scene, and given the intensity with which this woman was being attacked, she could have been dead by then. I was immediately torn, I wanted to help this woman, but I also wanted to not put myself, or more importantly, my sister, in serious danger. Result Finally, I told my sister to call the police, while I quickly approached the people in the alley. When I was about 30 feet away from the two, I yelled at the man to stop. The man looked up, saw me standing there, saw my sister near the street calling the police, and ran down the alley, leaving the woman on the ground. When the police arrived, the woman was taken to hospital, but not before thanking me and my sister profusely. Response Analysis As I made the decision to approach them directly in a short amount of time, I considered the consequences of my various options. I thought about protecting my sister if that man decided to attack us too, and I thought about the other people in my family who rely on me for support and who would be devastated if something happened to me. However, these thoughts of preservation were drowned out by the idea that this woman probably also had family and friends who loved her. Also, I thought that if my sister was beaten, I would definitely want someone to step in and help her. I briefly considered what was the ethically right and ethically wrong action to take in this scenario, but I did not apply any ethical theories or moral rules, nor did I think about what a person I admire would do in this situation. Maybe I would have had these thoughts if I had had more time to evaluate the situation. Virtue Ethics and My Response I believe the ethical approach that most closely resembled the way I handled this situation would be virtue ethics. (Heinrichs, Oser, & Lovat, 2013) I intervened in the situation because I believed it was the right thing to do and I wanted to protect this woman's safety. If you were to move on or just wait.