Connie Science's moral dilemma of whether or not to break government ethics laws regarding the acceptance of lobbyist's gifts has come to its climax where she must choose if she will jump on the bandwagon or not. Ms. Science could use a number of methods to come to a logical and morally sound conclusion. Some of these methods include Kantian Ethics and Act Utilitarianism.
Kantian Ethics is a deontological theory (which emphasize doing one's duty without regard for the consequences) developed by Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher. To apply this theory properly, one must use its component parts: Autonomy, Respect for Persons, and Universality. Autonomy states that you must think for yourself because only you can be held responsible for your actions. Connie must not allow her boss or her fellow co-workers to sway her decision. Respect for Persons is important because each person deserves equal respect and individuals should never be used as a means to an end. Connie must consider all the people that she could possibly be using if she were to accept
the lobbyist's gifts. If she did accept these gifts then she would be using the president as well as all the American people as a means to get these gifts since she was appointed by the president and her decisions that would be swayed affect the populace. The principle of Universality, also known as the Categorical Imperative, states that one should only act in a manner consistent with what one would will to be universal law. Connie must ask herself : what if everyone accepted such gifts and let their decisions be swayed? If everyone accepted these gifts, then the power would lie with those who brought the best gifts and not with the person appointed to the decision. Since this is not logical and everyone would not be respected equally then accepting such gifts would be immoral and Connie should not allow herself to be swayed by these lobbyists.
Act Utilitarianism is a Consequentialist Theory(focuses on consequences) whose guiding principle is the Principle of Utility which states that one must always act in order to promote the greatest good for
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