Everyday ethics: Is it OK not to pay?
When the bill comes after a nice meal, you notice the waitress forgot to charge you for your dessert. What do you do? More importantly, what goes into your decision?
Answers to dilemmas like this are part of everyday ethics.
When Janice Lawrence, director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ethics program in the College of Business, poses these questions to students, she wants them to think about the hows and whys of their choices. "It's a process of ethical decision-making," she said.
So, back to the restaurant.
Are you trying to impress a date? Then pay the extra, no question.
Former waitresses and waiters know what it's like to come up short — pay the full bill.
But the dessert wasn’t that good, you reason. You only ate half. And you are a bit short of cash this week. Maybe you'll just forget to mention it.
Sometimes ethical dilemmas don't have a right or wrong answer. Get a few people together to discuss the same issue, and you may get several different viewpoints, Lawrence said.
Mark van Roojn, who teaches ethical theory in his philosophy classes at UNL, said academic ethics have a long history. "There is a range of normal judgments," he said. But “what does it take for something to be right?”
Historically, the debate includes abstraction versus concrete, principle versus situation. There are several approaches to moral reasoning. And as one question gets answered, another one comes up. “It gets more complicated,” van Roojn said.
In everyday situations, ethics are influenced by a person's background, education and life experiences, Lawrence said. Those values and attitudes are reflected in your decision-making.
There also are misconceptions about ethics. One of the most common is that ethical dilemmas have a right or wrong answer. Reasonable people can often disagree on the ethical action to a specific situation, Lawrence said.
It helps to understand who will be impacted by your decision, said Loy Watley, who teaches business ethics at Nebraska Wesleyan University. In other words, “Put a face on that person,” he said.
“I think that is why so many people think it is OK to cheat on your taxes,” he said. “The government is faceless.” On the other hand, most people would never steal from a neighbor they knew, he said.
Watley suggested talking with someone who’s impartial — someone whose judgment you respect. “It's relatively easy for individuals to justify something in their own heads, but sometimes when you have to articulate your decision and the reasons behind it to someone else, the flaws in your arguments may become more clear,” he said.
A trusted friend often can tell you when you're being self-centered or simply trying to justify the most convenient action, according to Watley. “We need people around us who challenge our thinking,” he added.
And always understand the consequences — good and bad — of your actions to others. “People sometimes think the ethical thing is doing something good, but it may be unethical to do nothing at all,” he said.
Experts have several indicators of poor ethical choices — kind of a litmus test for your conscience.
Lawrence cites some examples used by former lawyer Michael Josephson, who started the national program Character Counts. Among them:
The Tell Your Mom Test: Would your mom be proud of you for your decision?
The Jiminy Cricket Test: Listen to your conscience, like the Walt Disney cricket who advised Pinnochio.
The Newspaper Test: How would this look on the front page of your town's newspaper?
The Candle, Bell and Book Test: Consider the decision by the light of day — do you hear a warning signal in your head and does it break a law?
A variety of situations pop up almost daily, bringing you face to face with one of those tricky dilemmas, Lawrence said. It may be a question of honesty versus loyalty, fairness versus compassion, short-term versus long-term goals, yourself versus others.
Watley said the psychology of ethics has shown differences between how a person thinks he would act in a given situation and the reality of how he will act. In business settings, a person’s values are often in conflict with the culture of an organization. “You'd like to think they would stand up, but typically they don't,” he said.
In high-profile cases such as Enron and WorldCom, it is so clear that what was being done was wrong, the ethical dilemma barely existed. “That's when the culture becomes most important,” Watley said.
Lawrence pointed out that most people regularly face two different sorts of ethical problems: “discernment,” or morally ambiguous situations in which ethical duties are not clear, and “will power,” situations in which ethical duties are clear, but the potential cost of doing the right thing is high.
Take John Suhrhoff of Sausalito, Calif., for instance. This week he found a Louis Vuitton bag with over $1 million in jewelry and cash in it on a park bench. He turned it in and told the media, “It was an easy decision.”
An online poll on NBC’s “Today” show found 81 percent of those responding said they would have turned the bag in, too. But 19 percent said they would have kept it.
Every day, we are faced with ethical dilemmas. Lawrence said she encourages students to see how they can deal with those situations in a way that might make this world more pleasant.
In the grocery store, if you change your mind about a frozen dinner, take it back to the freezer, don't leave it on the counter to melt. When you get too much change, give it back, with a smile.
These examples are small, but telling, Lawrence said.
Ultimately, though, it is up to each person. “We can teach ethical decision-making,” Lawrence said. “But we can't make them (students) have the moral courage to make the right choice.”
So would you speak up and pay for the dessert, or not?
Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 473-7214 or kmoore@journalstar.com.
Answers to dilemmas like this are part of everyday ethics.
When Janice Lawrence, director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ethics program in the College of Business, poses these questions to students, she wants them to think about the hows and whys of their choices. "It's a process of ethical decision-making," she said.
So, back to the restaurant.
Are you trying to impress a date? Then pay the extra, no question.
Former waitresses and waiters know what it's like to come up short — pay the full bill.
But the dessert wasn’t that good, you reason. You only ate half. And you are a bit short of cash this week. Maybe you'll just forget to mention it.
Sometimes ethical dilemmas don't have a right or wrong answer. Get a few people together to discuss the same issue, and you may get several different viewpoints, Lawrence said.
Mark van Roojn, who teaches ethical theory in his philosophy classes at UNL, said academic ethics have a long history. "There is a range of normal judgments," he said. But “what does it take for something to be right?”
Historically, the debate includes abstraction versus concrete, principle versus situation. There are several approaches to moral reasoning. And as one question gets answered, another one comes up. “It gets more complicated,” van Roojn said.
In everyday situations, ethics are influenced by a person's background, education and life experiences, Lawrence said. Those values and attitudes are reflected in your decision-making.
There also are misconceptions about ethics. One of the most common is that ethical dilemmas have a right or wrong answer. Reasonable people can often disagree on the ethical action to a specific situation, Lawrence said.
It helps to understand who will be impacted by your decision, said Loy Watley, who teaches business ethics at Nebraska Wesleyan University. In other words, “Put a face on that person,” he said.
“I think that is why so many people think it is OK to cheat on your taxes,” he said. “The government is faceless.” On the other hand, most people would never steal from a neighbor they knew, he said.
Watley suggested talking with someone who’s impartial — someone whose judgment you respect. “It's relatively easy for individuals to justify something in their own heads, but sometimes when you have to articulate your decision and the reasons behind it to someone else, the flaws in your arguments may become more clear,” he said.
A trusted friend often can tell you when you're being self-centered or simply trying to justify the most convenient action, according to Watley. “We need people around us who challenge our thinking,” he added.
And always understand the consequences — good and bad — of your actions to others. “People sometimes think the ethical thing is doing something good, but it may be unethical to do nothing at all,” he said.
Experts have several indicators of poor ethical choices — kind of a litmus test for your conscience.
Lawrence cites some examples used by former lawyer Michael Josephson, who started the national program Character Counts. Among them:
The Tell Your Mom Test: Would your mom be proud of you for your decision?
The Jiminy Cricket Test: Listen to your conscience, like the Walt Disney cricket who advised Pinnochio.
The Newspaper Test: How would this look on the front page of your town's newspaper?
The Candle, Bell and Book Test: Consider the decision by the light of day — do you hear a warning signal in your head and does it break a law?
A variety of situations pop up almost daily, bringing you face to face with one of those tricky dilemmas, Lawrence said. It may be a question of honesty versus loyalty, fairness versus compassion, short-term versus long-term goals, yourself versus others.
Watley said the psychology of ethics has shown differences between how a person thinks he would act in a given situation and the reality of how he will act. In business settings, a person’s values are often in conflict with the culture of an organization. “You'd like to think they would stand up, but typically they don't,” he said.
In high-profile cases such as Enron and WorldCom, it is so clear that what was being done was wrong, the ethical dilemma barely existed. “That's when the culture becomes most important,” Watley said.
Lawrence pointed out that most people regularly face two different sorts of ethical problems: “discernment,” or morally ambiguous situations in which ethical duties are not clear, and “will power,” situations in which ethical duties are clear, but the potential cost of doing the right thing is high.
Take John Suhrhoff of Sausalito, Calif., for instance. This week he found a Louis Vuitton bag with over $1 million in jewelry and cash in it on a park bench. He turned it in and told the media, “It was an easy decision.”
An online poll on NBC’s “Today” show found 81 percent of those responding said they would have turned the bag in, too. But 19 percent said they would have kept it.
Every day, we are faced with ethical dilemmas. Lawrence said she encourages students to see how they can deal with those situations in a way that might make this world more pleasant.
In the grocery store, if you change your mind about a frozen dinner, take it back to the freezer, don't leave it on the counter to melt. When you get too much change, give it back, with a smile.
These examples are small, but telling, Lawrence said.
Ultimately, though, it is up to each person. “We can teach ethical decision-making,” Lawrence said. “But we can't make them (students) have the moral courage to make the right choice.”
So would you speak up and pay for the dessert, or not?
Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 473-7214 or kmoore@journalstar.com.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.