Sir Isaac Newton’sThird law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.Though this quote and concept was based on physics, it is still very relevantfor everyday life. Every decision we made and continue to make has aconsequence: whether it be good or bad is not always easy to decipher at first.This week the group examined three scenarios to see whether the choices madewere for the greater good or ones own personal pleasure. As you will see, thegreater good was not preserved in any scenarioThefirst scenario involved a mayor of a major city accepting gifts fromorganizations that have done business with the city, and some that haven’t butmight in the future. As a public servant, it isagainst the law to take bribes. Receiving gifts from people who had benefitedfrom city contracts and from organizations eyeing contracts in the future is anunpatriotic act., so with that said the mayor’s decision to accept these giftswas unethical.
Accepting gifts from organizations that have not done businesswith him yet might cause a controversy if they do work together in the future.The actions do not represent a greater good because the mayor accepted thesegifts for his own personal gain. Going golfing or to professional sportingevents will not help better the community. The mayor alone would benefit fromthe good because he is receiving them for his own personal usage. We believeLocke would not approve of the mayor receiving gifts from the people who have citycontracts because this essential would be a social contract with the two parties.Locke would suggest that these people expect favors in the future from themayor.
This would not be for the greater good, just to please the mayor and potentialpartners, which is unethical.Next,we examined the instructor pursing her doctorate in night school, and givingher students the same lectures assignments and exams every semester. Many teachers and college professorsrecycle lesson plans and assignments. With that said, the professor’s actionsare unethical and create a conflict of interest. The professor is managing her academic requirementsby not giving her students the best quality of education. She doesn’t alter thelessons in anyway. So, the students are not learning about new studies, experimentsor current events in the class she teachers.
Administering the same workload andexams mean the professor is possibly providing outdated material to thestudents. This may help the professor with her school work, but her students won’tget the quality education they paid for and deserve. With that said the actionsonly results in the professors own good.
This then means that the consequencesdo not ethically justify the actions. We believe Locke would also disapprove ofthe professor’s actions. This woman has violating the social contract she haswith the school and with her students. Finally, we analyzed the scenario with amarried couple with financial as well as other problems that decided to have ababy. The decision by Toddand Edna to have a baby to be more responsibleis completely wrong. The innocent baby will not be able to guarantee that all theirproblems will be alleviated. The fact that Edna is pregnant and is a heavydrinker puts the baby’s health at risk if she is unable to stop for the next 9months plus however long she is breastfeeding. Also, if Edna is pregnant shewill not be able to work for some time which may reduce finances, and bring in moreproblems.
Moreover, since Todd cannot keep a job the two will have to establishhow they will be able to meet their expenses while Edna isn’t working, and oncethey have an extra person to take care of. The only ethical approach that thecouple should adopt would have been for them to first solve their problems andensure that they become more responsible prior to having the baby rather thanhave the baby and hope that they will become responsible because of it.
