Too Tired? Too Anxious? Need More Time? We’ve got your back.
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
Supporting Lectures:
Ethics and Morals
Ethical Systems
You are a patrol officer in a state that prohibits the selling, giving or sharing of any tobacco products with anyone younger than 18 years of age. Similarly, there is also a prohibition of selling, giving, or sharing any alcohol or alcoholic beverages with anyone younger than 21 years of age.
On your day off, you and several members of your shift have been invited to your sergeant’s home for a cookout. While standing around with the sergeant and a couple of your shift members, the sergeant’s daughter asks her father if he has any cigarettes. He hands her a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. Later, you notice the daughter and one of her friends sitting off to the side and both of them are drinking beers from cans. You know from a prior introduction that the daughter is 16 years old. Her friend looks to be the same age.
Analyze this situation and prepare a report that covers the following points:
Discuss all of your options in this scenario. Show how each option has a basis in an ethical system.
Provide background information from your home state regarding the behaviors described in the scenario. What do your state’s laws say about providing tobacco or alcohol to a minor?
Identify the utilitarian and deontological ethical philosophies of each option.
Describe what your response would be. Explain how your response would hold up if questioned by your captain.
Submit your response in a 4–6-page Microsoft Word document
HOW TO WORK ON THIS ASSIGNMENT(EXAMPLE ESSAY / DRAFT)
Ethical Dilemma: Balancing Duty and Morals in a Situation Involving Minors and Prohibited Substances
As a patrol officer in a state that prohibits the sale, giving or sharing of tobacco products with anyone younger than 18 years of age and alcohol or alcoholic beverages with anyone younger than 21 years of age, it is essential to uphold the law and act in accordance with ethical principles. However, a situation may arise where the duty to enforce the law conflicts with one’s personal moral beliefs. Such a scenario occurs in the case of the sergeant’s daughter asking for a cigarette, and later, both she and her friend were drinking beer cans at the cookout. In this essay, I will analyze this ethical dilemma and explore the various options available, including the ethical systems that underpin each of them.
Firstly, the options available in this scenario are as follows: to ignore the situation and turn a blind eye, to confront the sergeant or his daughter, to report the incident to the authorities, or to speak to the daughter privately. Each of these options has a basis in an ethical system, which are:
- Virtue ethics: This system focuses on personal character traits and the belief that a morally good person will make the right choices. In this context, the patrol officer might consider speaking to the sergeant privately or confronting his daughter about the behavior, as they align with the values of honesty, responsibility, and respect for the law.
- Deontological ethics: This ethical system emphasizes the moral rules and duties that guide behavior. In this context, the patrol officer might report the incident to the authorities or confront the sergeant, as it aligns with the duty to uphold the law and prevent harm to minors.
- Utilitarian ethics: This ethical system considers the greatest good for the greatest number of people. In this context, the patrol officer might ignore the situation, as it would avoid causing distress or disruption to the cookout guests.
It is important to note that each of these ethical systems has strengths and weaknesses, and their application in any given situation depends on a range of factors.
Secondly, in my home state, it is illegal to sell, give, or share tobacco products with anyone under the age of 18 and alcohol or alcoholic beverages with anyone under the age of 21. The law is in place to protect minors from the potential health and safety risks associated with these substances. Therefore, providing the sergeant’s daughter and her friend with cigarettes and alcohol is illegal and unethical.
Thirdly, the utilitarian and deontological ethical philosophies of each option are as follows:
- Ignoring the situation: From a utilitarian perspective, ignoring the situation would avoid causing any distress or disruption to the cookout guests. However, from a deontological perspective, it would be neglecting the duty to uphold the law and prevent harm to minors.
- Confronting the sergeant or his daughter: From a deontological perspective, confronting the sergeant or his daughter is the right thing to do, as it aligns with the duty to uphold the law and prevent harm to minors. However, from a utilitarian perspective, it may cause tension and disruption to the cookout.
- Reporting the incident to the authorities: From a deontological perspective, reporting the incident to the authorities is the right thing to do, as it upholds the law and prevents harm to minors. However, from a utilitarian perspective, it may cause unnecessary distress and harm to the sergeant and his family.
- Speaking to the daughter privately: From a virtue ethics perspective, speaking to the daughter privately aligns with the values of honesty, responsibility, and respect for the law. It may also prevent harm to the minors. However, from a deontological perspective, it is
Too Tired? Too Anxious? Need More Time? We’ve got your back.