Ethics plays a major role in our everyday lives. In order to be an ethical individual, you must become aware of the knowledge of goodness. According to Socrates, “If we are ignorant of what is truly good, our actions may well be aimed at what we believe to be good, but is truly evil.” Socrates believed that no individuals pursue evil ends and when they do this action it is because they saw good in it. An ethical dilemma I once endured when I was in high school was being dishonest about the scored I had received for my AP World History exam. In the beginning, I thought it was a good idea, but later on, I realized it was truly evil.
I took my AP World History exam in my sophomore year. However, the dilemma began in my junior year when the results …show more content…
I voluntary chosen to lie. The reason I told a lie was to fit in with the other AP students because people looked at them as elite. I lied to my dad because I wanted to fulfill the expectations he had for me. My actions were motivated to pursue pleasure and avoid pain typically known as psychological egoism. I was being egoistic because I was motivated by self-interest and did not care how the others will feel.
The resolution to this dilemma was I learned from my lie, but my action was not resolved. In response to the ethical dilemma, I would say I was in Kohlberg’s Level 1 Preconventional Morality in stage two- the instrumental purpose and exchange orientation. My moral thinking was characterized by egoism and self-interest. My desire to fit in and fulfill my dad expectation drove me to commit an unethical act, which I understood as right. I knew if I lied, it will be the easy way out, and it will make me look better.
The choice I took to be dishonest was unethical because the ego in me believed it was the right action to do. My parents taught me not to lie and honesty makes situations better. I once thought lying was acceptable but it was truly “evil.” Now, I know the knowledge of goodness is telling the truth and dishonesty is unethical. It is our free will to decide whether to be dishonest or honest. To be moral, we must not only follow moral rules but also understand why it is
I took my AP World History exam in my sophomore year. However, the dilemma began in my junior year when the results …show more content…
I voluntary chosen to lie. The reason I told a lie was to fit in with the other AP students because people looked at them as elite. I lied to my dad because I wanted to fulfill the expectations he had for me. My actions were motivated to pursue pleasure and avoid pain typically known as psychological egoism. I was being egoistic because I was motivated by self-interest and did not care how the others will feel.
The resolution to this dilemma was I learned from my lie, but my action was not resolved. In response to the ethical dilemma, I would say I was in Kohlberg’s Level 1 Preconventional Morality in stage two- the instrumental purpose and exchange orientation. My moral thinking was characterized by egoism and self-interest. My desire to fit in and fulfill my dad expectation drove me to commit an unethical act, which I understood as right. I knew if I lied, it will be the easy way out, and it will make me look better.
The choice I took to be dishonest was unethical because the ego in me believed it was the right action to do. My parents taught me not to lie and honesty makes situations better. I once thought lying was acceptable but it was truly “evil.” Now, I know the knowledge of goodness is telling the truth and dishonesty is unethical. It is our free will to decide whether to be dishonest or honest. To be moral, we must not only follow moral rules but also understand why it is