David Underhill – 30 Aug 04 (1st Week) – p.3-7, 9-11, 13-19 (EMP); p13-16 (CS)

 

Ethics and the Military in America (3)

  • Purpose of ethics course is to develop one’s ability to make ethical decisions and explain those decisions
  • US officers get their basic values from the nation’s documents (Constitution)
    • It can be difficult to interpret – there have been many Supreme Court rulings on it

 

The Frustrations of Ethics (3)

  • There is no single formula to clearly find the right ethical answer to any ethical question
  • A short course on ethics would not do justice to the rich moral heritage and profound concepts behind it

 

What Might We Gain From the Study of Ethics? (4)

  • New members of the armed forces have to learn that loyalty to the truth over shipmates, etc. is required
  • All members must understand that the US fights wars ethically – not victory by any means
    • This makes war more difficult, more costly

 

The Role of Philosophy in Morality (5)

  • Only through serious reflection can we improve our understanding of ethics

 

On the Eve of Battle (George R. Lucas) (9)

  • About Capt. Erskine, USMC in Kuwait awaiting for orders to invade Iraq (2003)
    • Wondered why the US didn’t get involved in Sierra Leone, Congo, etc.
    • Despite his beliefs, he was proud to serve the Marines and lead his men into Iraq
    • He was inspired by a Brit LtCol who reminded his men that they were there to liberate
  • Erskine was KIA, becoming one of the first casualties in the war (caught crossfire)

 

The Ring of Gyges (Plato) (13)

  • Asks why even bother to have morals
  • To do wrong is naturally good, to be wrong is naturally bad; suffering far exceeds the good
    • As a result, men make laws so they don’t inflict injury upon each other
  • Every organism naturally desires gain and pursues it
    • Both just and unjust men have this desire
    • Just men will follow laws in place, however, which check this desire
  • Every man believes that committing injustices serves themselves better than being just

 

Why is Ethics so Hard? (Grassey, Stockdale) (15)

The Perspective of the Individual (15)

  • In most situations, we easily identify right from wrong and hardly think about it
  • Moral Complexity – life does not always offer a clear choice; there will be pros and cons to both sides
  • Ethics made hard from:
    • Morality changes
    • Pressure from time and the limits of knowledge
    • Greatest difficulties arise when we have to discern human motivations
  • Emotions can influence self-control
    • A moral individual may make an immoral or poor decision due to emotions; they may even realize it is the worse decision but go ahead with it because of strong emotions

 

Perspectives on Organizations (16)

  • Ethics is not just about the individual
  • The organizations what really matters – each person within should fall under its morals
  • To rise in rank, one must master the culture of the service, including its ethics
  • Personal and professional ethics are different and separate

 

Some Thoughts on Theory (18)

  • Two extremes of ethics
    • Low: they specify the minimum level of performance
    • High: they specify the ideal
  • Three approaches to making ethical decisions
    • Absolute rules – written in law, clear; Ex: POWs should not be tortured
    • Consequences of actions and what one should do to achieve the best results
    • What is the intent of the person?
  • Ethics is described as the high country of the mind by Robert Pirsig
    • You must consider hard questions because our beliefs depend on our answers

 

The Bottom Line (19)

  • We are bound to uphold our profession’s ethical code
  • Bottom line: we may have to sacrifice ourselves in service
  • We cannot rely on ourselves to judge our judgment
    • We have the responsibility to get external assistance to improve our moral deliberations
  • Being an officer requires strict adherence to the military ethic

 

Rescuing the Boat People (CAPT Rick Rubel) (13)

  • A US LPD comes upon a boat of refugees
  • The captain stops the LPD near them
  • The refugees try to swim to the LPD but the captain refuses to let them aboard
  • The captain has the XO check the boat and OPS tell him the rules for embarking refugees
  • The boat appears seaworthy, though they say they’d lost 20 men already
  • The LPD is on a mission and embarking refugees could be dangerous
  • With twenty dead already, it seems they must be having some serious problems