GE1705

CASE STUDY FOR BASIC THEORIES AS FRAMEWORKS IN ETHICS

Art and Offense

In 2011, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) mounted an exhibit that included Mideo Cruz's
"Politeismo;' an installation comprised of an amalgam of many images including a statue of Jesus wearing
Mickey Mouse ears, a crucifix adorned with a bright red phallus, and a picture of the face of Jesus with a
wooden ash tray with penis tacked on the middle. Apparently conceived as a piece to promote critical thought
and perhaps debate on idolatry, it was seen by many in this predominantly Catholic country to be a deliberate
insult to their faith. Given the public outcry and the strong denouncement from various religious and secular
leaders, the exhibit was abruptly closed. In addition to being threatened and having his work vandalized, Cruz
was charged with obscenity. However, he (as well as the administrators of the CCP) was acquitted of these
charges by the courts in 2013.

A case such as this allows us to consider questions on aesthetics, such as "Is it the point of the work of art to
be appealing or to be thought-provoking?" It also allows us to consider political questions, such as "Who gets
to decide which artists and which projects may or may not receive funding from the state?" Our concern here
is ethical, and perhaps we can recognize that a number of highly significant ethical questions can be raised:
Does the artist have an ethical obligation to the sensibilities of his audience? Or does he have a moral
obligation only to be faithful to his vision and his art? What constitutes offense, and at what point is offense
severe enough as to require control or to justify retribution? Does a religious majority have a monopoly on the
understanding of what is right or wrong? Does an artist have absolute freedom of expression, or are there
proper restrictions to this right? What do you think?

CASE STUDY FOR VIRTUE ETHICS

Pornography

Sexual ethics is a study of a person's sexuality arid the manner by which human sexual conduct must be
exercised. There are many instances where sexual behavior must be observed in order to properly nurture
good interpersonal relationships. Thus, sexual ethics becomes a vital subject that must be studied by
everyone. One particular topic being discussed within sexual ethics is the issue of pornography. Pornography
is the explicit manifestation of sexual matters presented in different forms of media. Pornography normally
shows different illustrations of nudity and sexual acts in print, videos, and social media outfits. Some people
view pornography as immoral, citing how it treats persons as mere sexual objects for pleasure. Some people,
on the other hand, view pornography as a personal way of displaying one's freedom of expression, which
must be respected by everyone. What is your view on this?

Perhaps, virtue ethics, as a framework for moral valuation, can be utilized in assessing one's sexual behavior
specifically with regard to the person's fondness for pornography. If virtue ethics aims for the development of
the person's good character, does watching pornographic materials reflective of such a character? Is there a
virtue that is produced by the behavior of patronizing pornography? What do you think will happen with regard
to the character of a person if one habituates the act of watching pornography? Virtue ethics challenges the
person to look at one's habits concerning sexual behavior. What would possibly be affected by such behavior
is the person's appreciation and valuation of human relationships.

CASE STUDY FOR KANT AND RIGHTS THEORY

Whistle-Blowing and the Duty of Speaking Truth to Power

Business ethics is a field of applied moral philosophy wherein the principles of right and wrong (as we are
learning about deontology, virtue ethics, utilitarianism, among others) are made pertinent and relevant to the
workplace. Just because the primary purpose of business is the proverbial bottom-line called profit, it does not
mean that profit is the only motive. More and more people are realizing that to make a business sustainable,
we need to make decisions that balance a triple bottom-line; namely, people, planet, and profit. This requires

04 Teaching Materials 1 *Property of STI

Page 1 of 4
that we must improve our competence in decision-making that calibrates benefits for the stakeholders
(people), the environment (planet), and the investors (profit). Often, those business decision-makers who do
everything, especially the illegal and immoral acts to maximize profit in a single-minded way, somehow harm
their company's long-term sustainability. For example, they may lose customers if they produce substandard
goods and services just to make short-term profit. On the other hand, their employees might keep resigning
and they have to continuously hire new people because the compensation is not fair and just. They lose
money in the long-term because they spend more for training costs because they pay below minimum wage
salaries therefore hiring employees that lack certain qualities they need for their company. Thus, there is a
place for ethical principles in business, insofar as a business decision-maker's goal is sustainability and not
merely profit. But what can someone in the workplace do in the face of unethical business practices?

Recent history in the Philippines has witnessed many controversial whistle-blowers. Names such as Primitivo
Mijares, Heidi Mendoza, and Rodolfo Lozada Jr. have become part of the narratives of different ethical
scandals in the past few decades. But what is whistle-blowing? We can consider it as a kind of speaking truth
to power. It happens often in the workplace that an authority figure violates a law or makes an unethical
decision, such as bribery or extortion, deception, and exploitation of labor, among others. When it happens
that an authority figure instructs a subordinate to do an unethical act, the subordinate may not agree with
undertaking the act if he wants to live by certain moral principles. There is a problem that arises here. On one
hand, the subordinate must follow the instructions of the authority figure because the employer-employee
contract binds the subordinate to follow the orders of the authority figure. To do otherwise would be
insubordination, which can be grounds for termination. He could lose his job. On the other hand, if the
unethical act that is instructed by the authority figure is clearly against the principles of the subordinate, can he
refuse to do it without fear of losing his job? In this problematic scenario, the subordinate needs to find a
solution. Whistle-blowing is one way of making an ethical intervention.

However, the whistle-blowers that we named above resorted to one kind of whistle-blowing; namely, exposing
the wrong doing externally either by testifying in a public panel or by going to mass media such as a radio
announcer or journalist. While external whistle-blowing can be effective, it is not the only manner by which a
subordinate can blow the whistle against an erring authority figure. Here are three other intervention methods:
(1) secretly informing a higher authority figure (the "boss of the boss") about the unethical act, (2) writing an
anonymous letter to the authority figure threatening to expose the wrong-doing, and (3) collaborating with like-
minded colleagues to sabotage the undertaking of the unethical act and to prevent it from being done. It takes
a strong moral character to stand up to authority in the spirit of doing the right thing. But more than moral
character, it is important to be wise and clever in choosing which intervention method to use in order to uphold
one's moral principles.

CASE STUDY FOR UTILITARIANISM

Animal Rights and Welfare

Peter Singer, in his book Animal Liberation, argues that animals are equal candidates for moral respect; this
does not mean equal treatment as it does equal consideration. While Rene Descartes argues that animals are
incapable of feeling pleasure and pain because they do not have any minds, Bentham and Mill argues
otherwise. For them, animals are capable of feeling pleasure and pain and are thus to be included in whatever
moral deliberation we are to make, especially when the decisions we make affect them. The animal's capacity
for suffering is a vital characteristic that entitles them to equal consideration. While animal intelligence is
another moral issue to confront, it cannot be denied that animal behaviorists have established that animals do
feel physical pain. While other researchers simply dismiss this as an act of anthropomorphizing, the vast
research on animal consciousness is worth considering at this point. Should animals have moral rights?

Utilitarianism recognizes that animals do feel physical and emotional pain. But this does not mean that we are
not allowed to cause animals pain. When causing animal pain obtains a greater happiness to the majority of
humans and nonhuman animals, then doing so to sentient creatures can be morally permissible. For this
reason, utilitarian’s nowadays rarely use the term animal rights as they do talk about animal welfare. If human
rights, according to Bentham, are “nonsense upon stilts;” then the same is true with animal rights. These
rights are not absolute especially when it would be detrimental to the society. Mill do talk about rights to
security, liberty, and
justice, but he also argues that “particular cases may occur in which some other social duty is so important, as
to overrule any one of the general maxims of justice:” This can mean that, as a utilitarian, the pain and
pleasure of nonhuman animals must be taken into consideration when there are no concerns that would justify
their pain for the sake of the greatest happiness of the greatest number. In this case, when animals are used
for the development of household products and cosmetics, they are condemned by utilitarians. However,
when they are used for medical experimentation that can lead to cure for a debilitating or terminal illness, they
are acceptable to a utilitarian. Do you agree with this? Why or Why not?

CASE STUDY FOR JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS

Patient

You have recently been speaking to your nursing colleagues about Mr. Goodwin, a patient from the
community to comes to hospital once per week to receive a nurse-administered medication. You have been
wondering whether it is appropriate to keep treating Mr. Goodwin in hospital, given that he would be eligible
for community care support to have his medication administered in the home. The reason that he has
continued to come to hospital to receive this medication is that it is not covered by any Ministry of Health
program, and the hospital absorbs the cost for Mr. Goodwin at each treatment. You are not sure whether this
is an appropriate use of resources since there are significant wait times for other procedures, and cost savings
initiatives are being pursued in all other departments.

What are some of the ethical issues in this case? Why was the decision made to treat Mr. Goodwin in hospital
in the first place? Can the hospital cover the cost of similar medications for other patients, or are there
concerns of justice/fairness?

How are decisions regarding prioritization made organizationally? Are there agreed upon frameworks or ethical
principles that are used?

References:
Bulaong, O., Calano. M., & Lagliva, A. (2018). Ethics: Foundations of moral valuation. Sampaloc, Manila: Rex
Book Store, Inc.
Champlain Centre for Health Care Ethics. Case studies: Justice/fairness. (2018). Retrieved from
http://champlainethics.ca/case-studies-justicefairness
Rubric for grading (Reporting):

Criteria Performance Indicators Points Score

The type of presentation is appropriate for the topic and 5
Organization audience.
Information is presented in a logical sequence. 5
(15 points)
Presentation appropriately cites requisite number of 5
references.
Introduction is attention-getting, lays out the problem well, and 5
establishes a framework for the rest of the presentation.
Technical terms are well-defined in language appropriate for 5
the target audience.
Content Presentation contains accurate information. 10
(45 points) Material included is relevant to the overall message/purpose. 10
Appropriate amount of material is prepared, and points made 10
reflect well their relative importance.
There is an obvious conclusion summarizing the presentation. 5
Speaker maintains good eye contact with the audience and is 5
appropriately animated (e.g., gestures, moving around, etc.).
Speaker uses a clear, audible voice. 5
Delivery is poised, controlled, and smooth. 5
Presentation
Good language skills and pronunciation are used. 5
(40 points)
Visual aids are well-prepared, informative, effective, and not 5
distracting.
Length of presentation is within the assigned time limit. 5
Information are well-communicated. 10
Total 100