Slide 1 – Introduction and Ethical Theories

• The dilemma involving the officer with a record of absenteeism is the most problematic
• His absence causes a jam I paperwork
• His colleagues feel overworked
• According to utilitarianism, the employee is unethical as he does not consider how his actions affect others.

The ethical dilemma involving the worker with a shocking record of absenteeism is the most problematic. It becomes so, courtesy of the damaged caused by his behavior of nonattendance. The company continues to face a jam in the submission of required paperwork while his colleagues have to juggle between fulfilling their duties and trying to cover for him. The dilemma in question begs an understanding of the reasons behind the worker’s frequent absenteeism. However, since it is evident that a considerable number of people suffer from his actions, it is, therefore, a safe conclusion, based on the theory, that the individual is unethical.

Slide 2 – Ethical Theories

• Deontological ethics require a person to treat all others with utmost dignity and respect
• Employee is morally incorrect by abandoning his duties
• He should give up his position at the organization or give up his bad behavior

Deontological ethics, on the other hand, require a person to treat all others with utmost dignity and respect (Rae, 2018). Applied to this situation, the worker, should, in light of the circumstances, give up his position at the organization or, abandon his misconduct and join the rest in fulfilling’s their responsibilities. It, therefore means that the individual has been more morally incorrect by abandoning his duties for his selfish unexplained reasons.

Slide 3 – St Augustine and St. Aquinas

• St Augustine – Humans are not aware when they do wrong
• Their actions result from the unfamiliarity to what is good
• Aquinas suggests that it is possible to make mistakes
• No sin or wrongdoing if mistakes result from ignorance
• Both Aquinas and Augustine find the officer at fault

St. Augustine’s philosophy revolved around human beings being constantly aware when they commit wrongful acts, but instead, their actions result from their unfamiliarity to what is good, which arises from a misleading school of thought (Walker, 2014. St. Aquinas suggests that it is possible to make mistakes. However, if individuals complete actions which they believe to be fair to the best of their knowledge and the error therein results from ignorance, then there is no sin (McCluskey, 2016). In the officer’s situation, St. Augustine would try to correct the individual’s thinking by convincing him to fulfill his responsibilities. Aquinas would most probably find him at fault due to his apparent awareness of the situation and his persistent selfish choices.

Slide 4 – St Augustine and St. Aquinas

• Similarity – Both believed that if an individual’s mistakes resulted from pure ignorance, then the persons involved would be free of sin
• Differences
• Augustine held that humankind is only capable of evil due to misdirected education, which, is possible to correct.
• Aquinas held that man could be guilty of wrongdoing. The deciding factor is whether or not he is ignorant.

Both Aquinas and Augustine believed that if an individual’s mistakes resulted from pure ignorance, then the persons involved would be free of sin. Augustine, however, felt that humankind is only capable of evil due to misdirected education, which, is possible to correct. Aquinas on his side held that man could be guilty of wrongdoing and that the deciding factor is whether they are ignorant or, they rebelliously make that decision to commit a wrongful act.

References

McCluskey, C. (2016). Thomas Aquinas on Moral Wrongdoing. Cambridge University Press.

Pigden, C. (2016). Hume On Is and Ought: Logic, Promises and the Duke of Wellington.

Rae, S. (2018). Moral choices: An introduction to ethics. Zondervan.

Walker, G. (2014). Moral foundations of constitutional thought: Current problems, Augustinian prospects (Vol. 1127). Princeton University Press.