I will never forget one particular learning experience: a student of mine taught me a method to test whether an action was ethical or not, all in under five minutes. I have experimented with the system he taught me and it seems pretty much bullet proof.
If you are confronted with an ethical dilemma and your answer is a confident YES TO ALL THREE of these questions, it is highly likely that what you are contemplating IS ETHICAL. If one answer is a NO, then you are likely offside.
First, apply the Golden Rule Test, which is: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. (Or the Confucian form which is: Don’t do unto others as you would not have others do unto you.) If someone did what you are considering to you would you be offended, harmed or displeased? Reciprocity or tit-for-tat is an essential test for much of our behaviour.
Second, the Role Model Test, which is: If you were a parent would you want your child to do what you are considering? Would you want to set this action up as an example which your offspring would follow and consider “normal”? Is this the type of role modeling you want to promote?
Third, the Front Page Test, which is: If you had editorial privilege and the entire front page of the newspaper, could you fully explain and justify your action to an objective, informed and diligent reader? By definition, ethical dilemmas are complex, full of contextual details and awkward trade-offs. Would a thoughtful and independent observer, after evaluating the full circumstance of your situation, decide in your favour, or at least give you the benefit of the doubt?
I have shared these tests with many and pondered them, appraising situations I have heard about or experienced through their lens. I would recommend this five minute ethics course as highly effective, and a good primer for life. It is simple enough to teach young children, and robust enough to guide seasoned professionals.
Reflection Source: www.Smallercup.org
Please share freely and widely, there are no copyright concerns.