Philosophy

Part 1

Case Study: A Good Team Player

According to the case study context, the moral thing that Steve should do is to give Kristin (manager of accounts payable) the names of the individuals who do not value teamwork or rather the workers who are hurting the company. This is the moral thing because Kristin does not only focus on efficiency and higher profits but she is also concerned with ethics culture which is team-spirit (Dyer, Dyer & William). On the other hand, Steven does not value ethics culture but he only concentrates on promoting individuals who are passionate even if they do produce quality work. However, it is unethical to promote and reward underachievers and neglect the workers who are vigor and determined. Thus, Kristine is doing the right thing by asking the names of irresponsible workers. Note that her intention is toward promoting cooperation and efficiency through strengthening teamwork. By having all the organization's information, Kristin will be able to establish a culture that promotes team performance. Rather than promoting irresponsible workers, Steven should cooperate with Kristin in identifying the irresponsible workers and creating a collaborative culture where all workers should value teamwork (Dyer, Dyer & William). Note that teamwork will create a positive change to the irresponsible workers since they will be involved in a cool working environment where they will feel motivated. As a result, irresponsible workers will change their behaviors and increase performance, and the organization will increase productivity and efficiency. Thus, the morally right thing to do is to report the unreliable workers and through teamwork with other capable workers, they will foster creativity, generate team knowledge, share workload, learn new things and new perceives, build relationships and develop a positive attitude (Dyer, Dyer & William).

 I once encountered a similar situation in a certain small enterprise. Before joining college, I worked in a certain small organization and there was a co-worker who had formed a habit of stealing the company's tools and stationery. I observed him several times pocketing things like staplers, calculators and hole punches. The manager kept on complaining about the theft but it was hard to detect who takes the items since the cameras could not detect. At this point, I was in an ethical dilemma since I had two opinions; to either report the co-worker who takes the items and end the relationship with him or conceal the act and allow the company to continue incurring extra costs.  However, I followed my personal ethics and moral values and reported the matter to the manager. My decision was influenced by the moral principle which is based on doing good. My personal ethics helped achieve the best result since I eliminated the guiltiness and the manager was able to deal with the co-worker, not to punish him but to shape his behaviors. The manager was also forced to implement tighter security measures and strict rules to avoid further extra costs that the company was incurring and to ensure that employees are responsible and accountable for their actions. 

 Ayer's "emotivism" help in assessing Steven's situation in that the theory states that in trying to convince someone that the act is wrong, one should not only describe the wrong action but should also express emotion and show a range of attitudes for the purpose of clarifying the nature of the problem (Pojman, Louis & James, 193).   In the case study, Kristin employs the Ayer's emotivism by expressing her emotion to clarify that the act of promoting irresponsible individuals is morally wrong and she goes on to say that she cannot tolerate such individuals and that she needs the names so that she can deal with the workers.

 

 

Part two

Should assisted suicides be allowed for terminally ill patients suffering considerable pain?

Assisted suicide or aid in dying is a topic of discussion since many people think that it is illegal, immoral and inherently wrong while others support the policy arguing that doctors should end the life of terminally ill patients.  In this paper, I support that patients should have the right to control the end-of-life especially when the patient cannot bear the pain.  In general, physicians should assist the terminal ill patients in ending their life in order to eliminate the suffering and emotional pain.

 According to Shibata (155),   the ethical principle of autonomy states that individuals should have the right to self- determination or in other words right to make decisions.  In the case of assisted suicide, patients' right to autonomy is not only based on refusing treatment but patients can also request for assisted suicide. Patients who are terminally ill should have a liberty interest to choose death with dignity not only to eliminate the unnecessary suffering but also to end the sorrow and grief that their loved ones undergo.  Rather than providing the patients with life-sustaining treatment which may prolong suffering and increase financial burden, it is important to adhere to the principle of beneficence which is based on promoting good and avoiding harm (Shibata, 157). In this case, it is beneficial to assist a patient who is experiencing miserable suffering.  Another ethical principle that justifies the assisted suicide is the principle of justice which is based on the idea that physicians have the responsibility to reduce suffering not only by allowing the right to autonomy but also providing euthanasia to reduce suffering. Shibata (166) adds that the patients' right to refuse treatment is constitutional and physicians are not accountable for patients' death as a result of refusing treatment.

 Medical technology has given rise to life-saving interventions that prolong the dying process. However, there is an argument for the end of life care since medical technology allows terminally ill patients to suffer from intolerable pain. Thus, physician-assisted suicide is integrated into the health care system in some States where physicians  is legally entitled to  intentionally assist the patient in ending their life by administering lethal doses. Though the topic is controversial, proponents apply both legal and ethical principles to argue that physicians should fulfill the patients' interest, promote justice, fairness and avoid harm (Grosswald, 177). Terminally ill patients cannot engage in constructive activities and assisting them in dying is the best choice that maximizes happiness.

 

 Some States in the U.S such as Montana, Colorado, and Washington permit the physician to assist terminally ill patients to end their life. These States use the ethical and legal perceives and belief that patients gain psychology benefits by allowing them to practice autonomy.  However, even though patients have the right to Aid-in-dying, they face barriers because physicians' willingness to assist in dying is limited.  However, the principle of justice support  that aid-in dying is legal and physicians should participate in the process and as a result, the patient and the family will benefit by eliminating the terrible pain (Grosswald, 178).

 In conclusion, the research has confirmed that assisted suicide should be allowed to eliminate patients' pain and suffering. Arguments for assisted suicide are strengthened by legal and ethical frameworks which state that Patients have the right to autonomy, right to self-determination, and right to die with dignity. Physicians should promote happiness and justice and the participation of ending the life of terminally patient will not only benefit the patients but the family will also benefit from physical and mental health.

Work cited

 

Dyer, W G, Jeffrey H. Dyer, and William G. Dyer. Team Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team

Performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2013. Internet resource.

 

Pojman, Louis P, and James Fieser. Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong. Belmont, Calif:

Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

 

Grosswald, Blanche. “The Right to Physician-Assisted Suicide On Demandpass:[*].” Law &

Policy, vol. 24, no. 2, Apr. 2002, p. 175. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=8809265&site=ehost

-live.

 

Shibata, Benjamin. “An Ethical Analysis of Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Rejecting

Euthanasia and Accepting Physician Assisted Suicide with Palliative Care.” Journal of Legal

Medicine, vol. 37, no. 1/2, Jan. 2017, pp. 155–166. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/01947648.2017.1303354.