EARLY ETHICS
Children solve life’s dilemmas all of the time, but until they reach a certain point developmentally, their solutions tend to be desire based rather than ethics based. As we grow and learn, our systems of ethics become as unique as we are. Just as most dilemmas are not laid out for us with obvious solutions,most systems of ethics don’t solve any dilemma perfectly. The study of ethics is most interesting in its grey areas.What is your first memory of solving a dilemma specifically from the perspective of right versus wrong?This memory might be from your early childhood or even your teens. It might be something simple, such as whether to step on a caterpillar, or something complex, such as whether to lie about someone else having stolen money. What was your dilemma, and what was your “right” (or even knowingly “wrong”)solution? (You do not need to choose a situation that worked out perfectly or was a disaster, though youmay; most solutions are somewhere in the middle.)Who and what in your life up to that point informed your sense of right versus wrong for better or forworse? How were those influences evident in your solution?
.1. Describe your dilemma (sensory detail will help your story feel real).
2. Explain the solution (you don’t need to go into the why, just the what).
3. Reflect on one or more influences evident in your solution.This isn’t meant to be a life history, though it definitely will encapsulate some of who you are. This is simply a way to begin thinking about how our sense of ethics might be shaped by our first decade or soon Earth.This is an exploratory paper and it should have a beginning, middle, and end created by your storytelling.You don’t need to open with a history of your ancestors or wrap everything up with a statement of your philosophy of life. Instead, make this uniquely your story—give your reader a clear, detailed picture ofyour dilemma; a simple explanation of your solution; and a description of the influences that informedyou.
