HOW TO USE THE CHOICES TEST
© 2009 J. Brooke Hamilton III, Ph.D.
Recognition of the respect owed to all persons gives a basis for three approaches to deciding right and wrong, the Rights Test, the Exceptions Test, and the Choices Test.
You may wish to begin with the discussion of Rights
on the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics site. Then return here to
see how the Choices Test is operationalized and study the two examples
linked at the bottom of the page.
1. INTRODUCE THE TEST
Ask “Are the people affected able to make their own choices.”
2. WHY IS THIS A VALID WAY TO DECIDE RIGHT AND WRONG?
• Things have value because people value them.
•
All people deserve equal respect as ones who give value to things. What
I value has no claim to be “more valuable” than what you value.
•
So let others make their own choices based on what they value. Don’t
choose for them except in special circumstances. Children, for
example, may not be equal because they may not know what they really
value.
• Those who have made promises, signed contracts, or
made other prior commitments may not be free to act because of their
commitments.
3. APPLY THE TEST
STEP 1: Am I giving others freedom to choose what they value?
• We are free to make our own choices if we not being forced or coerced to choose something we do not value.
• Are there any prior choices (contracts, promises) that limit a person’s freedom?
STEP 2: Am I giving them the information necessary to know what they value in this situation?
Information
requires the level of information (or the opportunity to get the
information) necessary to know which alternative best fulfills what a
person values. Practical test for whether the information is adequate:
would that person choose differently if he/she had additional
information?
STEP 3: Draw a conclusion:
Is the
action unethical because it does not give the persons being affected
the freedom and/or the information to choose what she/he values?
4. STRENGTHS OF THE CHOICES TEST
•
The choices test reflects one of the fundamental ways of showing
respect for the equality of other humans—respecting their ability to
determine the course of their own lives by making choices based on what
they think is valuable.
• Many ethical violations in
business and professional settings involve denying people information
or limiting their freedom to choose.
• The test reminds us
that it is possible to determine what people value through direct
questions, surveys, and focus groups.
5. WEAKNESSES OF THE CHOICES TEST
•
It can reinforce a simplistic view of human decision making that people
are clear about what they value and make rational choices based on
those values.
• The concept of freedom is the subject of
much disagreement. The line, for example, between persuasion and
coercion can be difficult to draw. When does making something look
attractive take away from a person’s freedom to reject it.
SEE CASE EXAMPLES:
For links to descriptions of ethical theories, go to Ethical Decision Making at the Markkula Ethics Center site. For a discussion of the Rights approach at that site, go to Rights .
For a page of quick links to move between ethical theories and steps to operationalize these theories, return to EthicsTestNavigationLinks
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This page was last modified on June 04, 2009