Ethical Dilemmas Analysis: Examining Three Problems and Consequences

This paper analyzes three ethical dilemmas, examining the actions and their consequences. The first problem involves a mayor receiving gifts, raising concerns about potential bias in decision-making. The second problem focuses on a college instructor reusing lectures and assignments, potentially depriving students of quality education. The third problem addresses a couple's decision to have a child despite financial difficulties, raising questions about the child's rights. The paper identifies the consequences of each action and evaluates whether the actions represent a greater good, considering John Locke's perspective on ethics, specifically the rights to life, liberty, and property. The analysis explores who benefits from the actions and whether the consequences ethically justify the decisions made.

Running head: ETHICAL DILEMMAS
ETHICAL DILEMMAS
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1ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Ethical dilemmas can be defined as a situation that often involves conflict between moral
imperatives. Any situation of uncertainty that involves difficult way of making decision with
ethics can be called ethical dilemmas (Pollock, 2014). The paper aims to understand the concept
of ethical dilemmas by analyzing three problems. The discussion will involves Locke’s
perspective of ethics and the way he would have perceived the problems.
According to John Locke, Every human have the rights too life, liberty and property. The
concept of right ethics holds that people have fundamental rights of respecting and protecting
other people’s fundamental rights. On the basis of his philosophy the below problems will be
answered.
Problem 1:
The mayor have been receiving gifts that are overly expensive by organization who have
not performed business with the city. Receiving gifts are not unethical however, there is high
possibility of making arbitrary decisions towards the people who have been giving gifts to him.
While making decision of the large city, he may face ethical dilemmas and prefer making partial
decisions for the expensive gifts that he has received from organizations who have not done
business in the city.
Problem 2:
A college professor who is doing night school for pursuing her doctorate is now giving
her student the same lecture, assignment, and same examination even after the semester. The
students are deprived of their rights when they are not given the appropriate knowledge as their
education. The performance of the college instructor is unethical due to the fact that it is not
protecting and securing the student’s right. Therefore, it is an unethical act of the college

2ETHICAL DILEMMAS
instructor. The consequence of the situation would be failure of the college instructor’s students.
The students will not receive the education they deserve.
Problem 3:
Every human possess the fundamental human rights. Bringing a child in the world would
mean to give the child the same rights. Todd and Edna have been married however they are
currently in a critical situation. Bringing a child into the world will deprive him from various
rights due to lack of financial support. Every person is equal and each person has the right to life.
Therefore it is unethical from the Locke’s point of view to have a child only to save a marriage.
The consequence of this situation would be, Edna and Todd with a child that is unplanned. The
child will face difficulty while having its fundamental rights such as education and many more.

3ETHICAL DILEMMAS
References:
Archard, D. (2014). Children: Rights and childhood. Routledge.
Pollock, J. M. (2014). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice. Nelson Education.