Critical thinking and virtue ethics in professional responsibility

Journal Reflection

Introduction

Critical thought and ethics are important in every sphere of life, for students as well as for professionals. The best way to appreciate this fact is by thinking about the tremendous responsibility that everyone has no matter what his walk of life happens to be. From a duty ethics point of view, for instance, one’s moral responsibility is to do that which is expected of him in his station in life (Shafer-Landau, 2014). However, there are many ethical systems, from virtue ethics to deontology to utilitarianism to even ethical egoism. The most important I believe is virtue ethics because it is primarily concerned with the cultivation of a virtuous character (Mosser, 2013). This reflection will touch upon these points for further consideration.

Ethical Standards

Ethical standards are important because they serve as a guideline or set of principles to follow so as to prevent oneself from getting into trouble down the road. For me, virtue ethics is the best system to follow because it is objective and universal. I want an objective standard outside myself—not something subjective that can change based on how I am feeling. People tend to be able to justify their actions no matter what they are, and so we are all infected by ethical egoism; that is why I prefer to defer to a system like virtue ethics: it is unchanging and objective and the standards are there regardless of how I feel at any one moment. It is my job to conform myself to them, not them to my desires or current mode of acting or thinking.

When I write, I always use my own voice because that is what comes naturally to me. If I use the thought of someone else, I cite it, regardless of whether I use a direct quote. When giving advice, I always make sure that people know I do not have the necessary credentials to give psychological advice and that my opinion is just my opinion, based on a limited set of knowledge. I try to point people in directions that may be helpful and use sources to support this endeavor. For instance, I might say, “Perhaps look up Mosser’s (2013) book on ethics.”

Our reflection resource readings tell us that applying ethics is our responsibility as accountable human beings who have a duty to live morally and correctly in the world. Yet people still find ways to live immorally and even to justify them. That is a problem and it is cultural problem, in my opinion. The world has become enamored of subjectivism and leads people into thinking uncritically. Critical thought has to be objective, just like a good ethical system, in my opinion.

Conclusion

In my future goal of being a professional, I want to apply this knowledge in the best way possible, by always being true to the ethical standards I believe to be the best. This means reflecting on what I am doing in my life and getting feedback not just about how others see me but also about the ideas I hold as most important. I like to discuss ideas and ideologies because there are always other points of view to consider. As a critical thinker, I want to consider them all and broaden my perspective as much as is possible.