Title: Moral Action - Ethics Unwrapped - UT Austin
Headings: Being Your Best Self, Part 4: Moral Action
Being Your Best Self, Part 4: Moral Action
Discussion Questions
Case Studies
High Stakes Testing
Discussion Questions
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Teaching Notes
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Transcript of Narration

Content: Moral action involves taking the necessary steps to transform the intent to do the right thing into reality. This includes moral ownership, moral efficacy, and moral courage. Even if people are aware of ethical issues they encounter, able to determine the correct choice to make, and truly wish to do the right thing, they still may not be able to convert that awareness, decision-making ability, and intent into action. Sometimes people fail to do the right thing even though they know what it is and want to do it. Many students may be able to conjure up situations where by themselves they were able to change the trajectory of a situation. Often times, bosses and colleagues are making poor ethical choices because of the self-serving bias, or incrementalism, or any number of other behavioral factors that can cause poor decision making. It is not because they actively wish to do the wrong thing. By simply pointing out the error of their ways, just one person can often change the consensus. An excellent method for teaching people to convert their ethical choices into ethical action is Mary Gentile’s Giving Voice to Values (GVV) program. Her book explains useful methods to prepare and voice your values, and the GVV website offers supporting materials for learning.