Head or Heart?

Head or Heart?

The Ethical Lens Inventory is designed to help you determine which of four ethical lenses – four primary ethical perspectives – help you determine what to do when faced with an ethical dilemma that doesn’t have a clear answer.

Your preferred ethical lens depends on your core values – the ideals that propel you to action. Each ethical lens emphasizes underlying core values in a slightly different way.

Two of the ethical lenses emphasize using rationality – critical thinking – to determine what behavior is ethical.

* Rights and Responsibilities Lens: You (autonomy) use your reason (rationality) to determine the universal principles and rules by which you and others should live.

* Relationship Lens: The members of the community (equality) use their collective reason (rationality) to design and implement processes to assure justice for all.

Two of the ethical lenses emphasize using sensibility – our intuition and emotions – to determine what behavior is ethical.

* Results Lens: You (autonomy) use your feelings and intuition (sensibility) to determine the choices that you should make to contribute to your happiness, and by extension, the happiness of all.

* Reputation Lens: The members of the community (equality) in conversation rely on their feelings and intuition (sensibility) to agree upon the character traits that are required for virtuous living.

Being a Person-in-Community

The Ethical Lens Inventory also helps you determine whether you begin an ethical analysis by focusing on the individual or the community.

Two of the ethical lenses emphasize individuals determining for themselves what behavior is ethical.

* Rights and Responsibilities Lens: You (autonomy) use your reason (rationality) to determine the universal principles and rules by which you and others should live.

* Relationship Lens: You (autonomy) use your feelings and intuition (sensibility) to determine the choices that you should make to...