J Dent Educ. 70(11): 1152-1158 2006
© 2006 American Dental Education Association
Professional Promises: Hopes and Gaps in Access to Oral Health Care |
Four Ways We Approach Ethics
Brian O’Toole, Ph.D.
Key words: principles, consequences, virtue/character, moral sentiment
Most people use four different approaches when making ethical decisions. Some people use one approach predominantly, while others vary their approaches according to the circumstances. In either case, the approaches usually are chosen unconsciously. A main source of conflict in decision making occurs when two parties argue or negotiate their positions from different moral approaches, for these different moral approaches are not convincing to one another. People may be persuaded to change their minds only when a stronger position is raised within their own moral approach. The different moral approaches are the principle, consequences, virtue/character, and moral sentiment approaches. Conflicts in decision making can become easier to resolve when decision makers first recognize they are using different moral approaches and then choose to negotiate within the same moral approach.
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Copyright © 2006 by the American Dental Education Association.
