Ethics are an intricate necessity of society today more than ever. Technology, industrialization, and advanced and more pronounced freedoms have changed the perception of ethics and what is perceived as moral. The pursuit of profits, self-gratification, and personal fulfillment has resulted in a total disregard for morality and ethics. For instance, pharmaceutical companies are manufacturing drugs with high addiction and side effects to ensure steady demand, while other corporations hike the costs of substandard products to maximize profits. Furthermore, authorities trounce on freedoms of expression through force, and students engage in malpractices to pursue a college diploma or a degree. Therefore it is necessary to reinforce the philosophy which suggests that cheating is an insult to the crucial virtues of honesty, transparency, and hard work.
Virtue ethics do not necessarily impose any rules or specific ethics as the basis of achieving a virtuous self. In this course on ethics, the mentioned virtues of hard work, honesty, and transparency are vital in explaining why Jane Doe's actions may or may not have been justified. In the philosophy against cheating, the virtue of honesty is irreplaceable. In all aspects of people's lives, striving to be honest with oneself and others is priceless. Honesty is the ability, to tell the truth and uphold that truth even in difficult situations. Transparency is the ability to be consistent in a moral character. For instance, if a student submits genuine assignments on time, that student is transparent. Hard work is the ability to persevere through hardships to complete a task without taking shortcuts. For a student, this virtue is the core of the whole idea of studying. In the life of a student or anyone who has ambitions to achieve something worthwhile, honesty, transparency, and hard work are instrumental in realizing such goals.
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Morality and Religion
The divine command theory suggests that people must abide by the divine law because whoever made these laws was infinitely wise and only intended that people be upright. The question of why the divine law insists on doing something or not doing it enhances its importance. Jane Doe is a believer, and her religion abhors the vices of cheating and dishonesty. Naturally, she is bound to follow the doctrines of her faith, but she defiantly chooses to ignore them. Judging from a moral perspective in terms of religion, it is immoral for Jane Doe to copy assignments, submit blank ones, and resubmit already done papers to her ethics professor.
On the other hand, she could be a follower of religion but without faith in its convictions. In other words, she can be compared to an atheist, with the only difference being those atheists who do not believe in God (Rachels & Rachels, 2019). Jane Doe lacks moral inclination when she willingly misleads her professor into giving her grades she does not deserve.
Social Contract
The social contract theory refers to a set of rules that implicitly and explicitly govern people's behavior. Under the social contract, individuals accept certain principles if everyone else is willing to do so. Jane Doe is a student at University X, and she is bound by the social contract of that institution (Sen, 2017). This means that she is bound to do assignments, uphold quality standards and transparency, and obey all institution rules. One of the rules prohibits students from any form of cheating. Jane Doe clearly and intentionally chooses to disregard the social contract by having her assignments done, copying from John Doe, and Submitting blanks so that she can claim it was an honest mistake. This behavior is a breach of ethics, and the student can be said to be immoral. There is no defense whatsoever for this kind of action.
Solutions to Jane Doe's Case
Veil of Ignorance
Jane Doe needs to refocus of perspectives so that her sense of morality can be fixed. The veil of ignorance creates the ideal scenario of a just society and the kind of behavior it should have (Rachels & Rachels, 2019). Jane Doe ought to look at her actions from the veil of ignorance, assuming that she is not the student in this case and does not know the consequences of studying, only the knowledge of what is just and fair for everyone. In this situation, Jane Doe will analyze her actions by considering the effects of her behavior on the professor, the students, and her sense of integrity. Also, she will consider the consequences if she were to get caught. Such a reflection will enable her to view the situation unbiased and understand that her moral compass requires fixing.
Egoism
An ethical egoism deals with how people ought to behave in light of what is right and morally wrong. However, egoism deals with the gratification of one's self-interest before anyone else's. Self-interest means making a priority of your needs before considering others (Rachels & Rachels, 2019). However, it does not mean achieving these needs while hurting others or misusing others to achieve these ends. Self-interest is different from selfishness because the latter disregard whoever gets hurt in the process of attaining ambitions. Jane Doe's actions have been in the pursuit of self-interest, which is to submit assignments she has not worked hard for (Bruner & Lindauer, 2020).
Furthermore, Jane Doe feels that other students are well off and do not have to work hard and deal with school work, hence justifying her decision to cheat. Egoism cannot suffice in this case because it champions self-gratification above all else. In this scenario, the professor is misused, and cheating gives Jane Doe an unfair advantage over deserving students.
This course has dramatically influenced my perspective on morality and ethics. Initially, I used to believe that the end should justify the means, and now, I see the error in that judgment. Morality cannot be explained using one approach because its weaknesses are the basis of another theory. Furthermore, ethical theories cannot be applied equally in one situation because they have a canceling-out effect. I have also realized that although the common good narrative is noble and worthwhile, doing things to serve self-interest is equally essential.
References
Bruner, J. P., & Lindauer, M. (2020). Correction to: The varieties of impartiality, or, would an egalitarian endorses the veil?.
Rachels, S., & Rachels, J. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy (9th ed.). Mcgraw-Hill Education.
Sen, A. (2017). Ethics and the foundation of global justice. Ethics & International Affairs , 31 (3), 261-270.
