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Ethical Toolbox
Your ethical toolbox
Keep an Open Mind
Avoid Dogmatism
- ask questions
- stop and listen
- look at the reasons and not just the position
Avoid Rationalizing
- slow down
- avoid automatic comebacks
- admit uncertainty
Avoid Relativism
- don’t avoid conflict
- treat disagreement as a learning opportunity
- explore other views
Think for yourself: remember Abraham!
Clarify and Enumerate Values
Remember the four great ethical ideas:
- Respect
- Fairness
- Care
- Virtue
Watch for narrower and wider interpretations:
Which fits better in your situation?
Do other values also come up?
Clarify and Enumerate Arguments…
…from Facts/ from Values/ Analogies/ Definitions
Expand Possibilities
Multiply Options
- ask around
- brainstorm
- intermediate impossible
- random association
- PO thinking
Reframe Problems
How could the problem be headed off or transformed into something more manageable?
Integrate Values
- What is each side right about?
- What new directions are possible once we start on common ground?
Talk Effectively
- Listen first; then you can ask for the same courtesy back
- Seek out common ground
- Start with areas of agreement:
- How can both/all sides find a way forward together?
- Look for opportunities to take a constructive turn
- Remember: there are no easy or simple answers:
otherwise this wouldn’t be a problem…
Good luck!!