Neil Salsich's Morality Journal: Special Topics
1.One paragraph summary of the key idea of the section.
The key ideas of this section is learning the different ways to deal with moral dilemmas. This topic was approached in three different areas: war, business, and ethics. One particularly important idea was that of proper morals in the workplace. Most business men will do anything to make a profit, and they think that by doing those things they are helping themselves. Actually, their poor moral choices and poor business ethics usually surface later, and many are arrested and jailed. As the case of Jim Goodnight expemplefies, proper business ethics can make for a better workplace and in turn a higher profit. If a CEO treats his employees right, providing them with the benefits and perks that Mr. Goodnight has, (and not cheating them, like so many corporate CEOs do to their employees) the employees are happier to work and treat the customers much better, which in turn leads to a higher profit. People usually make immoral choices to better themselves, but as so many cases in history show, poor moral choices usually only end up hurting them.
2. List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this section. Each idea must come from a different section: one about just war, one about medical ethics and one about business ethics.
The Just War Theory - The Just War Theory stems for Catholics stems from the crossing of two obligations: the prima facie obligation and the absolute obligation. The prima facie obligation is a commitment to be nonviolent, and the absolute obligation (the primary obligation) to preserve justice. Catholics struggle to be faithful to both of these obligations and can participate in a only if it is a just war. Though the absolute obligation is the most important one, the prima facie obligation still should limit and influence one's actions.
Life Support - In medical ethics, when deciding issues of life support for an injured person, the hospitals always must let the family decide, even if the hospital staff would have a more experienced background to make the decision. In making this decision, the distiction between ordinary means and extra-ordinary means is paramount. As taught by the Catholic Church, ordinary means are food and hydration, but extra-ordinary means are life support machines/
The story of Aaron Feuerstein - Aaron Feuerstein was the CEO of Malden Mills, a textile mill in Massachutsets, the producers of the popular Polartech clothing. His factory provided a wellspring of jobs for a town that had already fallen on particularly hard times. Business was good, but disaster struck when the factory burned down one night. Mr. Feuerstein could have taken the insurance money he recieved and retired, or rebuilt a new factory in a cheaper area. However, he made a choice to not only rebuild the factory right there in the town but to pay his employees full pay for the months they were out of work. By doing this Mr. Feuerstein put the company into danger of bankruptcy, but it was the employees he cared about, the himself. He valued his employees over making a profit, and that is what good business ethics are all about.
3. One image of that reminds you of the topic. Try to get a good, striking, meaningful image. Attribute, link, your source.
Source: Simon Fraser News
4. What the most relevant question for you from this section?
If I become involved in the military, medicine, or corporate business, will I apply the principles I have learned? Or will I let the lure of making a prophet or pressure from others poorly influence my decision?
5. What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more moral person, from this study of these three key issues?
The ideas and principles of just war were particularly enlightening, and to make myself a more moral person I will use what I have learned and apply it to current military situations, and try to not have a biased view.
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