Journal 5: War, Medical, and Business Ethics

I find that the key idea in the section are the three types of obligations that Catholics face.  First, are "Relative" obligations that may be beneficial if we follow them, but they are not necissarily a requirement.  These simply act as guides that may help us to live better lives, but they are not as consequential as Prima Facie obligations or Absolute obligations.  A Prima Facie obligation should be followed by Catholics.  It is an obligation that we are essentially required to followe; however, a Prima Facie obligation may not determine the physical actions of an individual.  In contrast, the final type of obligation is an Absolute obligation, which requires all peoples to follow regardless of the circumstances.  Absolute obligation has precedence over the other two types of obligations.  If an Absolute obligation conflicts with a Prima Facie, or even a "Relative" obligation, the Absolute obligation should always win out.  There is however a problem in all of this.  Christians must observe the Absolute obligation to preserve justice, yet also the Prima Facie obligation to preserve peace.  But, sometimes, in order to preserve justice, force must be utilized, thus going against the Prima Facie obligation.  This "loop-hole," in other words, allows for a Just War theory stating that nonviolence may be disregarded to ultimately attain peace and justice.  So, although the Absolute Obligation of justice is the priority, the peace of the Prima Facie obligation must still be regarded and attempted to the point of exhaustion in every scenario that may require violence to acheive peace.

The Three Most Important Ideas:

1.  Just War.  There are two primary criteria for fighting a war, outlined in Jus in Bello.  The first is called Discrimination which calls for civilians, women, children, elderly, and other noncombatants to not be directly attacked by enemy fire.  These people are innocent and as such, they are unarmed and do not provide weapons to soldiers.  They may however provide food and other personal items.  The second criteria is proportionality.  We must weigh the good that may result from a war to the consequences and casualties expended in the fighting of the war.  The good must not outweigh the bad. 2.  Medicine.  There are numerous moral dilemmas that influence how we view medical ethics today.  A major question is whether living with severe problems or in a state of unconsciousness really worth staying alive for.  If this is the case, is it better to let the person die without further treatment, especially if the person is braindead.  Another question is if it is moral to possibly put another person at risk of death for the chance to save another.  Today is a very difficult time for the medical world.  Complex issues such as these need to be worked out on a daily basis and nobody knows what the ideal, "one answer fits all" really is. 3. Business.  In the past few years, CEOs of major corporations have been discovered to be corrupt.  However, millions of individuals still invest in these companies because it appears as though they are making record profits.  In fact, the heads of these  multi-billion dollar corporations are "cooking the books" and lying to shareholders.  Nevertheless, while all this unethical behavior is occuring, there are still moral individuals at the top of the corporate ladder.  The co-founder and CEO of SAS, Jim Goodnight, remains committed to his workers and not only gives them unprecedented benefits, but he also runs his business honestly, while still making record profits.  This proves that corruptness in big business is not a secret  ingredient; rather, a poison.

-An image that reminds me of business ethics, or lack there of is the former CEO of Enron, Kenneth Lay.  He is being lead into a federal court in handcuffs on the charge of conspiracy to manipulate the companies' books.  It is a shame that CEOs like Lay feel the pressure to lie for the sole purpuse of profit and greed.

Picture Link

-A question that I have to ponder on this section on ethics is, "why don't more people strive to follow the ideals of Jim Goodnight?"  Goodnight respects and values his workers, doesn't lie or change the books, and he still makes enormous profit.  For me, it doesn't make sense why more pople don't follow this succesful model for big business.

-I can try to be a more moral person by realizing that honesty really does pay.  Goodnight is living proof of this and the above picture of Lay shows just the opposite.  I need to realize that even though I may be influenced by others, like Lay who needed to report a certain level of profits for shareholders, I must always stick to my own ideals and not give in to the temptation to make more money.