Ethics and Newspaper Chain free essay sample

A newspaper columnist signs a contract with a newspaper chain. Several months later she is offered a position with another newspaper chain at a higher salary. Because she would prefer making more money, she notifies the first chain that she is breaking her contract. The courts will decide the legality of her action. But what of the morality? Did the columnist behave ethically? In my opinion the columnist did not behave ethically. If she signed a contract with a newspaper chain, then she can’t break that contract, even for more money. What does that say about her principals to the new company anyway. To incorporate the good vs. evil on this case is simple, because the good or what should be, is her staying with her current newspaper chain, making less money and complying with her morality, and evil would be her first instinct, and also what actually happens, in many cases, is the columnist going with the other chain, the chain that pays more money, even if it means she isn’t being morally correct. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics and Newspaper Chain or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I believe both Augustine and Aquinas would decide against the columnist living her current newspaper chain, because the both believe that ethic is doing what is morally correct, fighting against human nature, or adapting human nature to what is correct, and also being conscious of our decisions. â€Å"Conscience is where Thomas Aquinas began to depart from theological ethics through the discovery of reason as Aristotle used it. Aquinas observed that conscience operates in all cultures and without direct connection to the religious faith of a troubled person† (Lecture for Week 2) An airline pilot goes for his regular medical checkup. The doctor discovers that he has developed a heart murmur. The pilot only has a month to go before he is eligible for retirement. The doctor knows this and wonders whether, under these unusual circumstances, she is justified in withholding the information about the pilots condition. No, she is not justified in withholding the information about the pilot’s condition because it may put at risk the life of others, and also because the pilot has the right to know his own medical condition. The doctor is at a difficult position, because knowing that the pilot only has one month to retire, if she withholds the information, which to her, may seem like the right thing to do, the pilot can continue with his normal life for just one more month until he retires. But in reality, that would be the wrong thing to do, because of the consequences I just mentioned above. She is in a difficult position distinguishing the right vs. the wrong. The right thing to do is to tell the pilot of his condition, and allow him to make his own decisions as far as what he will do from that moment on. Like I have mentioned on the question above, Augustine and Aquinas are â€Å"pro-truth†, and therefor, I believe they would both decide against the doctor omitting the truth. I found something online I thought it was interesting: â€Å"The fact that the evil ones, as long as they live, can be corrected from their errors does not prohibit that they may be justly executed, for the danger which threatens from their way of life is greater and more certain than the good which may be expected from their improvement† (http://www. traditioninaction. org/religious/n012rp_DeathPenalty_Aquinas. htm). To me, that means that everyone is given the opportunity to correct their mistakes, but doesn’t mean they wont suffer the consequences. And in this case, the doctor needs to understand that the consequences of her omitting the truth are too big. For instance, if the pilot has a heart failure while in the air, in an aircraft full of innocent passengers, the aircraft and everyone on board is at risk, and the doctor may even be sued for not revealing the truth. References: 1) Lecture for week 2 Human Nature: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 2) http://www. traditioninaction. org/religious/n012rp_DeathPenalty_Aquinas. htm