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Ethics Awareness Inventory Analysis GEN480 ??? College of Humanities January 22, 2012 Ed McCullough, M. A. Ethics Awareness Inventory Analysis The basic theme of this paper is to interpret the results of my Ethics Awareness Inventory and apply them to my personal and professional development. In addition, the paper will include its statement explaining how my educational experience has affected my ethical thinking. The analysis will address my use of ethics in thinking and decision-making, and the potential for conflict in situations with people who have different interpretations of ethical behavior.
Based on my Ethics Awareness Profile results, my Ethical Profile is most closely aligned with the character while least closely aligned with the equity. My ethical perspective is leaning towards on what it is good to be rather than what it is good to do. I believe that ethics should focus on ways to help people achieve moral excellence. When asked to judge whether an individual’s actions are ethical, I look beyond the actions to examine the individual’s character. Uprightness and integrity are key factors in my assessment.
I look for evidence of virtue in people, including such traits as honor, justice, and benevolence, believing that a virtue is not just an abstract principle. Rather, virtue is reflected in the quality of an individual’s character, and character is more important than an individual’s actions. In my opinion, mere compliance with rules, no matter how well intentioned, does not make anyone an ethical person without being accompanied by consistent voluntary striving to be a morally good person.
My educational experience has affected my ethical thinking by learning different cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives from different people in class and the educational materials that are being provided. I believe that ethics relies on the ability of individuals to make sound moral judgments. I do not believe that it is enough to comply with some preset standards or principles of right and wrong to find the solution to a complex ethical dilemma. Ethics relies on exemplary character to make the difficult choices.
I value such qualities as honesty, wisdom and integrity, and I place greater emphasis on demonstrating these qualities than on following the rules. I believe that an individual would be incapable of choosing between conflicting rules or standards of right and wrong without already possessing good character. My approach to ethics calls for developing practical wisdom and sound judgment within individuals to guide them in their ethical decision making. My ethical style compels me to strive to be a person of wisdom and integrity.