ETHICAL DILEMMAS: TYPES, HOW TO FACE THEM AND EXAMPLES - PHILOSOPHY

The ethical dilemmas, also known as moral dilemmas are hypothetical situations where it is necessary to make a choice between two different options. For this to be an ethical dilemma, neither option has to be acceptable according to the social norms by which the person is governed.

Ethical dilemmas cannot be satisfactorily resolved if the person follows a traditional moral code. When presented, neither society nor individual values can provide an acceptable answer to the individual who has to make the decision.

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These types of dilemmas appear mainly in disciplines such as philosophy, hypothetically. Its main objective is to help the person to whom it is raised to reflect on their own values, ethics and moral code. However, it is possible that at some point in our life we are presented with a decision of this type.

The use of ethical dilemmas as a form of teaching dates back to civilizations as ancient as Greece and the Roman Empire. Today they are still used in some educational contexts, but they also appear in fundamental issues of politics and everyday life, so understanding them and learning how to solve them is more important than ever

What are ethical dilemmas?

Ethical dilemmas are situations in which there is a choice between two options, both of which are morally unacceptable to the person. These situations can occur in a hypothetical way, as part of a philosophical exercise to better understand ethics and the value system itself; or they can appear in real life.

When an ethical dilemma arises, the two possible choices somehow contradict either the value system of the person facing the situation, or the moral norms of the society or culture in which he is immersed. In any case, choosing between the two options is very difficult.

Often times, moral dilemmas present the person with a lose-lose situation. This means that, regardless of the option that is chosen, there will be negative consequences and that they are considered acceptable. However, normally both options also have positive consequences, making the choice even more difficult.

These dilemmas can be posed at the hypothetical level, in areas such as education, as a teaching method. However, in real life there can also be situations that could cause a moral dilemma.

Conditions that must be met for an ethical dilemma to occur

There are basically three conditions that must be present in a situation for it to be considered a moral dilemma. The first occurs in situations in which an individual, known as an "agent," has to make a decision about which course of action is best.

This implies that a situation that is uncomfortable or goes against a person's values, but does not involve a decision, could not be considered an ethical dilemma. On the other hand, the second condition has to do with the existence of several possible courses of action, which would be related to the first condition.

Finally, the third requirement for a situation to be considered an ethical dilemma is that, regardless of the decision that is made, it is necessary to violate a moral principle. In other words, in these situations there is no perfect solution.

What are they for?

As we have already seen, moral dilemmas are often used as an educational resource in the classroom. They are especially used in subjects such as philosophy or ethics; Depending on the situation and context, they can fulfill different functions.

For example, ethical dilemmas are very useful in helping a student to reflect on their own values and moral system. When it is necessary to choose between two values, it is easier to see which is considered more important.

On the other hand, the discussion of moral dilemmas in groups can serve to promote the capacity for debate among students. It is very common for students to differ in the path they would take, so a very enriching discussion can be generated around these hypothetical situations.

Finally, if a moral dilemma is discussed in a group, students may find that there are other people who have different points of view than their own. This can be very helpful in fostering values such as tolerance and respect.

Types

Depending on the different characteristics and variables, it is generally common to speak of six types of moral dilemmas: hypothetical, real, open, closed, complete and incomplete. Next we will see what each of them consists of.

Hypothetical dilemmas

Hypothetical dilemmas are those in which the person is faced with a situation that they are very unlikely to face in real life. Most of those used in an educational context fall into this category.

In hypothetical dilemmas, a story is usually presented, in which the student has to decide what the protagonist should do based on their own values and beliefs. However, in some cases the student has to respond based on what he thinks he would do himself in a similar situation.

The situations posed in the hypothetical dilemmas are not completely impossible, but simply unusual. This is important, since if situations were considered totally out of reality, students would have it much more difficult to empathize with the story and put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist.

Real dilemmas

In many ways, real dilemmas are the opposite of hypothetical ones. These are either real situations in which the person has to make a difficult decision, or an educational example that is much more closely related to the student's own life.

In general, real dilemmas involve situations that are considerably less dramatic than hypothetical ones. However, due to the relationship of the dilemma with the person's own life, they can arouse much more intense emotions.

When an ethical dilemma occurs naturally in a person's life, the consequences on a psychological level can be quite damaging. This is because the individual has to make a decision that contradicts one of their values, which sometimes causes more or less serious emotional problems.

Open dilemmas

When an open dilemma arises, students receive all the necessary information about a situation; however, how the story is resolved is not explained to them. Its objective is to encourage students to discuss the course of action that the protagonist of the action should follow.

This type of ethical dilemma is useful in forcing students to make a difficult decision and to choose which of their values is most important to them. However, they can sometimes generate a lot of debate; And if the situation is very extreme, they may be very uncomfortable to respond to.

Closed dilemmas

In closed dilemmas, students are told not only what the situation consists of, but also what decision the protagonist of the story has made. The aim of the students, therefore, is to debate among themselves whether the person has done the right thing or not, and why.

Closed dilemmas are less compromising, in the sense that students only have to judge the actions of another person (real or hypothetical) rather than having to make their own decision. But for this same reason, they generate less learning and less emotional involvement.

Complete dilemmas

When a complete ethical dilemma is presented, all the details of the situation being analyzed are shared with the students. In this way, the participants are fully aware of the consequences of each of the possible choices.

Thus, students do not have to reflect so much on the possible outcomes of each of the scenarios, and focus only on the moral dilemma posed. However, often the learning achieved with these types of situations is not as complete as that which occurs in other types.

Incomplete dilemmas

Contrary to what happens in complete ethical dilemmas, in incomplete ones the students do not know all the consequences derived from the possible choices of the protagonist of the story.

This implies that, before choosing which path to follow, students have to use their creativity and imagination to determine what would happen in each case. Not only can this get them more involved in the story, but it will generally enhance learning and encourage discussion.

How to face ethical dilemmas?

We have already seen that most ethical dilemmas are hypothetical, and as such have no real consequences in the lives of the people who are faced with them. However, what happens when we find ourselves in a situation where we have to make such a decision?

To help us make the most appropriate choice if we ever encounter a situation of this type in our lives, different systems have been developed designed to face a real ethical dilemma.

Next we will see what steps to take when we are facing one of these scenarios.

Establish the facts surrounding the situation

The first thing to do when faced with an ethical dilemma is to determine if the situation really requires making a decision that goes against your own values.

Sometimes the conflict is only apparent, so it is necessary to reflect deeply on what is happening to try to find an alternative solution.

Reflect on the values involved

If it has been determined that there really is a conflict between several values no matter what decision is made, the next step is to identify which ones are involved. Later, once you are truly aware of what is at stake with each option, you can make a reasoned decision.

Let's imagine, for example, that a person has to take care of his family but has no money to buy food for them, and no way to get it. One day, walking down the street, he finds a wallet full of money. The person would have to decide between taking the wallet to the police and being a good citizen, or using other people's money to take care of their own.

In this situation, we could identify, on the one hand, the value of the person of not using money that is not his own, and on the other, that of feeding his family. The person involved would have to reflect on which of them is more important before making a decision.

In the previous example, it is important to note that there would not be a totally correct answer: in both scenarios, the person would have to sacrifice one of their values to follow the other.

Implement the plan and reflect on the results

Once the values involved in a specific situation have been identified, and which of them is more important has been established, the next step is to take action based on this hierarchy. In general, in these scenarios it is usually very harmful to avoid making a decision for fear of making a mistake.

Finally, once the action has been carried out, it would be necessary to reflect on the consequences it has caused. In this way, if a similar situation arises in the future, it would be possible to make a better and easier decision.

Examples

Below we will see two concrete examples of ethical dilemmas to understand even better what they consist of.

Heinz's dilemma

It is one of the most widely used examples of a moral dilemma. In it, Heinz has to buy medicine for his wife, who is dying and would not survive without it. However, although the medicine costs 1000 euros, the only pharmacist who sells it has inflated the price and asks for 5000 euros.

Heinz has only managed to raise 2,500, and he has no way of getting more money. Although the man explains the situation to the pharmacist, the pharmacist refuses to sell him the cheapest medicine or to let him pay half later. At this point, Heinz considers stealing the medicine. What should you do in this situation?

Dilemma of the «snitch»

A high school student has painted the facade of the building, and the director of the center wants to know who is responsible. To achieve this, he threatens all the students in the class in which the culprit is found with suspending their academic course unless it is delivered, or someone tells him who has done the graffiti.

Another student knows who is responsible, and is faced with a dilemma. Should he tell the director who he has been to avoid punishment for all his colleagues? Or, on the contrary, would it be better to keep quiet so as not to become a "snitch"?

References

"Ethical dilemmas" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: February 25, 2019 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.com.
"What is an ethical dilemma?" in: The New Social Worker. Retrieved on: February 25, 2019 from The New Social Worker: socialworker.com.
"Solving ethical dilemmas" in: BC Campus. Retrieved on: February 25, 2019 from BC Campus: opentextbc.ca.
"How to handle an ethical dilemma" in: Personal Finance Society. Retrieved on: February 25, 2019 from Personal Finance Society: thepfs.org.
"Ethical dilemma" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 25, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.

ETHICAL DILEMMAS: TYPES, HOW TO FACE THEM AND EXAMPLES - PHILOSOPHY - 2025