Principle of Ethics

by | Jan 12, 2025 | ethics

You are not a member of the doctor’s culture but reside in a state where this practice is still legal. The plastic surgeon has agreed to perform this practice on a young girl, the daughter of a friend of the surgeon. The friend has authorized the procedure. The girl only knows this is a custom. You did not know that today you would be asked to assist in this procedure. You can refuse to participate (your job may be on the line in the future due to that decision). Or you can assist the surgeon. What ought you to do? We now want to examine the ethical issues involved. To do this, let’s look at the role of relativism, moral truths, and other issues.

What would a subjective moral relativist say about what this doctor is doing? Do you agree with the subjective moral relativist? Why or why not?
Examine what a cultural moral relativist would say here. Do you agree with the cultural relativist? Why or why not?
Name and evaluate general criticisms of cultural relativism as being the wrong moral approach.
Is there an objective moral truth about any of the possible actions by the nurse and/or doctor in this case? Why or why not?

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

This scenario presents a deeply troubling ethical dilemma. Here’s a breakdown of the ethical considerations:

Subjective Moral Relativism

  • Perspective: A subjective moral relativist would argue that morality is entirely personal and subjective. What is right or wrong is determined by the individual’s own beliefs and feelings.
  • In this case: A subjective moral relativist might argue that if the surgeon and the girl’s parents believe this practice is morally acceptable, then it is morally acceptable for them.
  • Agreement: I disagree with this perspective. While individual beliefs and feelings are important, they cannot justify actions that cause harm, especially to a vulnerable child.

This scenario presents a deeply troubling ethical dilemma. Here’s a breakdown of the ethical considerations:

Subjective Moral Relativism

  • Perspective: A subjective moral relativist would argue that morality is entirely personal and subjective. What is right or wrong is determined by the individual’s own beliefs and feelings.
  • In this case: A subjective moral relativist might argue that if the surgeon and the girl’s parents believe this practice is morally acceptable, then it is morally acceptable for them.
  • Agreement: I disagree with this perspective. While individual beliefs and feelings are important, they cannot justify actions that cause harm, especially to a vulnerable child.

Cultural Moral Relativism

  • Perspective: Cultural moral relativism suggests that morality is determined by the cultural norms and values of a particular society. If a practice is considered acceptable within a specific culture, then it is morally permissible.  
  • In this case: A cultural moral relativist might argue that since this practice is a cultural tradition, it is acceptable within that cultural context.
  • Agreement: I disagree with this perspective in this specific instance. While respecting cultural diversity is important, certain practices, like female genital mutilation (FGM), are inherently harmful and violate fundamental human rights, regardless of cultural context.  

Criticisms of Cultural Relativism

  • Difficulty in Defining Culture: The concept of “culture” can be ambiguous and difficult to define, leading to confusion and inconsistency in applying cultural relativism.
  • Moral Progress Impossible: If morality is solely determined by cultural norms, there is no basis for criticizing harmful practices or advocating for moral progress within a society.
  • Tolerance of Harmful Practices: Cultural relativism can be used to justify harmful practices, such as FGM, child marriage, or human sacrifice, simply because they are accepted within a particular culture.  

Objective Moral Truth

  • Existence: Whether objective moral truths exist is a complex philosophical debate.
  • In this case: I believe there are objective moral truths that apply universally, such as the right to bodily autonomy and the prohibition of harmful practices against children.
  • FGM violates these fundamental rights. It causes physical and psychological harm and has no medical justification.  

Action in this Scenario

As a nurse, my primary ethical obligation is to do no harm and to act in the best interests of the patient. Participating in this procedure would violate these ethical principles.

  • Refusal: I would firmly refuse to participate in the procedure, citing ethical concerns and the potential harm to the child.
  • Documenting Concerns: I would document my concerns thoroughly and report the situation to appropriate authorities, such as the medical board or child protective services.

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