Putman
Hour 5
15 November 2016
Argument Paper What are ethics? Ethics are the idea of what is right and what is wrong. These ideas are based on well-rounded reasoning such as obligations, benefits to society, fairness, and specific values. In the short story "Flowers for Algernon" Charlie is a thirty-seven year old man who has a very low IQ of sixty-eight. Doctors decide to use him as a text subject for an experiment that will supposedly make him three times smarter.Charlie agrees to undergo the surgery and to go through with the operation. Charlie Gordon 's doctors did not act ethically when they performed the surgery to make him smarter. Charlie Gordon 's doctors did not act ethically when they performed the surgery to make him smarter, because they did not …show more content…
They were ethical because they took the initiative to make the decision for him. They knew that Charlie would not be able to make a good educated decision on whether or not to do the surgery, so they highly influenced him into doing what they believed to be the best option, but Charlie is an adult is he not? He should be, and is, able to make his own decisions even if others do not think that they are trustworthy. He may not know the "The Five Steps To Better Ethical Decision Making" which are to gather the facts, make a prediction, identify your feelings, ask yourself if you would ever regret this, and if you can give reasons to support your decision(Dobrin), but it is his life. Even though he may be mentally challenged he is a grown adult and is fully capable of making his own decisions. Now they may not be the best decisions, but it is his job and his only to decide if this surgery is going to be good for him. He can make that decision without the influence of others trying to persuade him this way or that. The doctors and Ms.Kinnian should have let him make his own decision, and they did not give poor Charlie that