2.2.4. Practice Using Frameworks

To practice using ethical frameworks as tools, here is an exercise.

Scenario: A Parent With Alzheimer’s

Suppose you are in the position of needing to decide what to do to care for a parent. Although they are used to an active and independent life, it is clear that they have been showing signs of worsening, early stages Alzheimer’s. You believe they are no longer able to safely live on their own, but they get upset at the suggestion that they might need help.

You have two options. Either you can intervene, by ignoring your parent’s wishes and securing a professional carer or care home to support them, or you can choose not to intervene, hoping that they will finally realize they need care. You have consulted with your siblings, and they left the final decision to you. The cost of professional care will come out of your parent’s financial reserves (they can afford it), but you will need to spend their money for them against their will.

You don’t know what to do, so you sit down and work through your options with a list of ethical frameworks.

Trying Out Different Frameworks

Your job in this exercise is to articulate a reason for intervening (forcing your parent to get care) AND a reason against intervening (hoping your parent comes to their own realization they need care), for each framework listed.

The goal of this exercise is to practice using the ethical frameworks as tools for looking at the insides of a complex ethical dilemma, and to see how each tool gives you slightly different information about what is at stake.

This scenario will be hypothetical for some of you, but for others, like for one of the authors, this will be a decision you have been very close to in real life.

If you are able to, work with others in filling out this chart or compare with others to compare what you came up with. Every real-life instance of this is a little bit different, so make sure to respect whatever decisions your groupmates may have made. One suggestion is to ask if anyone has seen a situation like this unfold in their family, and to invite them to share first about the reasons that were most salient to the decision that was made. Once anyone who wishes to offer experience has volunteered, then you can begin working through the theories in the list.

Framework	Intervene	Do Not Intervene
Confucianism: become an exemplary person, i.e. generous and respectful, through rituals, i.e. sacrifice to ancestors	Be generous and resepectful to your parent and siblings by taking the hard decision and absorbing whatever upset follows. It might be a substantial sacrifice to let your parent be angry with you, but an exemplary person would respectfully accept the difficulty in order to secure proper care for their parent.	Be respectful of your parent’s authority and don’t intervene and try to take the decision away from them. Instead be generous in helping provide for your parent while your parent makes their own decision.
Taoism: Act in harmony with universe; trying to force things will backfire	Act in harmony with the natural process of what’s going on with your parent’s health and what needs to be done for their care; trying to ignore the natural process of Alzheimer’s and not intervening now will cause more problems later	Act in harmony with the natural process of your parent’s journey coming to terms with their illness; trying to force them to accept care before they are ready will backfire.
Virtue Ethics (Aristotle): Act in a way consistent with the virtues to promote your flourishing. Practicing virtuous actions makes us more virtuous in the future.
Virtue Ethics (Aztec): Virtue is a group effort; we all need support to help us live lives of balance and moderation.
Natural Rights
Care Ethics
Consequentialism
Deontology
Ubuntu
American Indigenous
Divine Command
Egoism
Nihilism
Existentialism

Once your table is completed, think back over the different rationales given for each decision option. What ‘reasons’ felt most compelling to you? Some will seem unpersuasive, and some will seem to really get to the heart of the issue. Which framework best supports your decision to intervene? Which framework best supports your decision not to intervene?