English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

I’d like to note that your response to this week’s readings was very interesting, especially your opening statement that “ethics is one of, if not the most, interesting topics ever.” I can’t say that I disagree; ethics are extremely important and valuable but to suggest they are the most interesting of topics is extreme, though I might second that opinion. I think this shows where your ethics lie, at least partially, since you are genuinely interested in the concept, you are likely fully aware of the impact that ethics have in every aspect of our lives. Furthermore, I also feel the same in regard your first paragraph’s closing argument, that “I’d rather not work for a company that things that it is ok to allow a chemical spill to pass via falsifying data – as seen in a case study in the reading.” This is clearly unethical and thoroughly wrong, in both of our opinions it seems.

You state that ethics is, arguably, the most interesting topic ever. I think a better way of phrasing this may be that ethics is, at least with relation to technical writing, one of the most important topics (ever?). This statement I would completely agree fully with, and I think this was your as you go on to explore the broader picture of moral dilemma, and how difficult it is to satisfy all individuals, all of the time. I think this moral dilemma is simply a permanent part of society, and that often the goal should be, as negative as it may sound, to offend or turn off a little people as possible. The truth is that someone is always going to have a problem with something you say, so your focus should always be on the broader audience that your approaching, and what the typical values, opinions, etc are.

Your soap example is something I have never thought of. I had never really viewed a situation like this as an ethical one. I knew that regular soap was just as good as antibacterial soap and that the bacteria could become immune, but didn’t view it from the angle that it is going to make what we are fighting against stronger and in a sense, put us at a disadvantage. I guess it comes down to money, if people keep buying it, the companies will keep making it. After all, by the time the problem arises, we will all be long gone, it’s not our problem.

Your example of the soap brings up an interesting point. Often time, things have unforeseen negative consequences. I would imagine that the person, who invented antibacterial soap, had no idea that their invention would lead to more resistant bacteria. Their thought was most likely, hey this is going to help prevent people from getting sick. While writing our white papers, we should keep this in mind and try to think up all of the possible consequences. Considering all possible consequences is impossible, but a good amount of effort should be placed into try to predict the majority of the consequences whether they are positive or negative.

I like how you addressed an “ethical dilemma” in your post. Specifically, “while the morals and/or values are satisfied from one perspective they are often in conflict with other perspectives.” This is a concept that comes to my mind every time ethics is brought up for a class discussion. I’m reminded of the atomic weapons program during World War II that was discussed in the text. Was it ethical for America to develop such a devastating agent of war? Possibly not, but consider that question again, keeping in mind that the “enemy” was trying to develop the same thing for use against us. The atomic weapons program seems a bit more ethical when changing perspectives.

I agree with the above poster's that ethics probably isn't the most interesting topic, but instead a very important one. A good sense of ethics, especially ethics that are applicable to your field of study, will probably be one your most important assets. Your ethics are based on your customs, values, and beliefs, and will form the basis of almost every decision you decide to make in both your life in general and at work. Take this project for example, the groups that ethically make their white paper objective and factual and give decision maker's the best information from both sides will succeed, and those who do not will be marked down

I am also impressed by your opening quote regarding the topic of ethics. I do think ethics is an extremely interesting topic. It is also an extremely difficult topic to discuss, as everyone has their own opinions of ethics. You make a good point in your discussion that there are subsets of ethical topics, such as plagiarism or copyrights that we all learn about, but these aren’t really the big picture. These ethical dilemmas regarding plagiarism will play a significant role in our academic and professional careers. My question is: as technology advances, will our ethics keep up with that technology?

Thanks

JFlitt