Daily Ethical Issues in Business

1a) Our justice system has always stated “ innocent until proven guilty.” The war in Iraq has brought out several ethical dilemmas since significant changes in the military action and homeland security. Holding terrorists suspects without legal representation, charges or court hearings is almost absurd. However, using the paradigm model, it really explains itself. The paradigm of short term versus long term is best suited for this type of dilemma. The government is taking immediate present action, due to the need of human safety since 9/11 and hoping this will help build the future. However, they government at the same time could be risking the future by holding the suspects without normal U.S. laws and court procedures. Is the government close to retaining that type of power in the future over U.S. citizens? A resolution to the dilemma is to go by the Rule-based model, or the Categorical Imperative of Immanuel Kant. There is no sure way to know what the consequences for holding the suspects could be. However, if the government stuck to the principles of the country, and gave a fair trial with representation this dilemma would not be such a problem.

1b) Detaining people based on physical characteristics of a terrorist does not seem so ethically wrong to me. The old saying of “Rather be safe than sorry” applies to this dilemma. It’s always been the way the law system works. If someone sees suspicious activity, they call the cops. If someone murders another person, the police draw up a sketch of the suspect and detain people that match the description. The paradigm of justice versus mercy best fits this dilemma. The reason for this is because the justice side is the fact that there is possible suspects in the country that could harm thousands of lives, and maybe through a description and random screenings, these suspects can be brought to justice. However, the mercy side of it is that most of the people detained are ordinary U.S. citizens like everyone else. You have to have compassion for ordinary people being arrested and embarrassed in front of their families, however, there is always that chance of a tragedy like 9/11 occurring. The resolution I would use in this dilemma would be the Care-based model. If people could just put themselves in the shoes of the people being raided and detained, the humility that comes with it, I think their views will change. However, the families that lost love ones I’m sure don’t care to hear that. A person wouldn’t like going through that process as an innocent being, than why do it to others?

1c) The government made a huge mistake when it was found out the FBI was eavesdropping using communications without permission and violated the Patriot Act. This violates human rights, and the angered public responses were just a few examples. The right versus right ethical dilemma in this case is short term versus long term. The reason for this is the fact that the FBI made huge mistakes in 9/11, which resulted in a war in Iraq, and thousands killed. The FBI wanted immediate response and detaining of a situation that still isn’t cleaned up on our land. If the government went through in the long run through the normal proceedings of investigation and possible cause and effect thinking, they would never be in this mess. The resolution I would recommend for this dilemma is Rule-based thinking. By setting a certain standard, in this case it would be that it’s okay to violate one’s privacy, others won’t forget and now a standard is set. Setting stricter laws and harsher penalties for eavesdropping would resolve a lot of issues. The FBI got away from their principles and need to reestablish them.

1d) Iraqi’s who have been detained to seek information from, have been victims of torture-like techniques. This in no way is a good for mankind in general. Torturing another being of your kind is an absolute anarchy! The right versus right dilemma in this case is truth versus loyalty. The soldiers involved in the torturing may not all want to be involved in the acts, and possibly got the information from the suspect and wants to report it. However, if majority of the troops wanted to do torturing acts, high ranking officers wanted to, would you say no? Peer pressure has been the most influential stimulant for centuries. Battling alongside the group of men and women for months, sometimes for years, loyalty and bonds are formed. This is an ethical dilemma that I find really boggling. The resolution I would use in this dilemma would be the Care-based model. “Do onto others, as you would want done to you” is a saying parents have been using for years, could they