Dilemmas, Ethical

An ethical dilemma involves a situation in which there is uncertainty regarding what is the proper or right thing to do. This occurs when either of the following two conditions appears involving circumstances that require a resolution:

• 1.
  There is a conflict between two equally valid ethical principles or values.
• 2.
  There is a conflict within an ethical principle or value.

Some of the more common ethical values or principles that frame ethical dilemmas include the following:

• To whom do I have a duty—self, family, friends, workers, investors, consumers, future generation, and so on?
• How can I minimize the causes of harm—harm that is physical versus economic versus psychological, harm that is actual versus potential, harm to many versus harm to a few, or harm that is severe versus harm that is ...