Class 10 (English Assignment)

 

Morality, Ethics and Social Responsibility

Modern society gives people many opportunities to make choices, but not every choice that benefits an individual is necessarily ethical. Consider a student who discovers a mistake in the school's computer system that allows students to see examination results before they are officially published. The student could use this information to help himself and his friends, and nobody might discover what he had done.

However, using the information would give him an unfair advantage over other students. An ethical response would be to report the problem to the school administration so that it could be corrected. This decision might not provide an immediate personal benefit, but it would protect fairness and trust within the school community.

Morality and ethics are therefore closely connected with the choices people make. Morality generally concerns principles about right and wrong, while ethics involves applying those principles when making decisions and dealing with others. A responsible society depends on people who are willing to consider not only their own interests but also the consequences of their actions for others.

Questions

1.     What ethical problem does the student discover?

2.     Why would using the information give the student an unfair advantage?

3.     What would be the most ethical response to the problem? Why?

4.     Distinguish between morality and ethics according to the passage.

5.     Why is considering the consequences of our actions important when making ethical decisions?

6.     Imagine that reporting the computer problem could cause your close friends to lose an advantage. Would you still report it? Defend your answer with ethical reasoning.