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Individual Ethical Decision Making

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Individual Ethical Decision-Making Analysis
James Waylon Jahns
Facilitator Howard
Introduction to Philosophy
December 23, 2012

Individual Ethical Decision-Making Analysis
Introduction
Throughout my lifetime I have dealt with everything from priests to murderers, I have witnessed preachers with no morals and thieves with moral rules. I have made good decisions and bad decisions, however, every decision I made was made with good intentions. Ethical theories vary as to causation and intent; however, intent is the common factor of every ethical theory.
Trust and Betrayal
Last year my niece used my name as a reference so that a bail person would bond her out of jail; when my niece failed to show up for court the bonding company called me asking for help. Because my niece used my name I felt obligated to find her, my sister was very upset when I turned my niece in to the bounty hunters. I thought a long time before making the decision to turn in my niece. I am not sure which ethical theory best supports my decision but I would say my virtues where the deciding factor, I have a good reputation and my niece used that reputation for personal gain, therefore, there was a revenge factor involved. I turned my niece in because what she did was wrong and also because the local bonding companies trust me, I wanted to maintain that trust.
My roommate and best friend is 23 years old, he began talking to a 14 year old girl, he wanted to go out with her, in North Mississippi this is not uncommon, however, I feel it is wrong and immoral as well as being illegal, fortunately the girl’s mother found out before I could pursue the matter and she put a stop to the relationship. I was going to turn my friend in to the authorities, thankfully I do not have to make that decision, however, I was going to turn him in so I had already made the decision because what he was going

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