Cheating, Kinda Cheating, Collaboration, or Creative Ethical Problem Solving?
Cheating, Kinda Cheating, Collaboration, or Creative Ethical Problem Solving?
HU245
Ms. Hayden
Kaplan College
04/06/2013
Cheating, Kinda Cheating, Collaboration, or Creative Ethical Problem Solving?
Cheating, kinda cheating, collaboration and creative ethical problem solving are all very different issues. While cheating is considered just that, cheating, collaboration and problem solving lead to a much more rounded type of cheating that is somewhat justified. But is there a difference between the four? I don’t think so.
In scenario #1, Maggie May clearly leans over to retrieve the answer from her neighbor’s test. Seeing the question with another formula ultimately gave her the correct answer. Had Maggie not leaned over to see her neighbor’s test, she wouldn’t have been able to correct her mistakes and retry a different formula. Ultimately making it unfair for others taking the same test, falsifying your qualifications in that math class (saying you can accomplish something when you can’t without cheating), and risking making it a habit.
However, it can be argued that her actions were justified by the “dog-eat-dog” theory. Some people see the world as so competitive and ruthless that in order to survive, one may have to break all the moral do’s and don’ts (Thiroux, J, Krasemann, K, 2012). Maggie May might have been a competitor at heart, which led her to set aside her own true morals and take a glance.
Unfortunately, cheating in adolescent years is often simply because “everybody does it.” While this is an actual attitude and not justification, this type of thinking brings on complacency and laziness. One problem with this attitude is that it is questionable whether most people do these things. Another problem is that if some or most people do these things, this does not mean people ought to do them (Thiroux, J, Krasemann, K. 2012).
In scenario #2, Maggie May is diverted away from looking at her neighbors paper by her friend
HU245
Ms. Hayden
Kaplan College
04/06/2013
Cheating, Kinda Cheating, Collaboration, or Creative Ethical Problem Solving?
Cheating, kinda cheating, collaboration and creative ethical problem solving are all very different issues. While cheating is considered just that, cheating, collaboration and problem solving lead to a much more rounded type of cheating that is somewhat justified. But is there a difference between the four? I don’t think so.
In scenario #1, Maggie May clearly leans over to retrieve the answer from her neighbor’s test. Seeing the question with another formula ultimately gave her the correct answer. Had Maggie not leaned over to see her neighbor’s test, she wouldn’t have been able to correct her mistakes and retry a different formula. Ultimately making it unfair for others taking the same test, falsifying your qualifications in that math class (saying you can accomplish something when you can’t without cheating), and risking making it a habit.
However, it can be argued that her actions were justified by the “dog-eat-dog” theory. Some people see the world as so competitive and ruthless that in order to survive, one may have to break all the moral do’s and don’ts (Thiroux, J, Krasemann, K, 2012). Maggie May might have been a competitor at heart, which led her to set aside her own true morals and take a glance.
Unfortunately, cheating in adolescent years is often simply because “everybody does it.” While this is an actual attitude and not justification, this type of thinking brings on complacency and laziness. One problem with this attitude is that it is questionable whether most people do these things. Another problem is that if some or most people do these things, this does not mean people ought to do them (Thiroux, J, Krasemann, K. 2012).
In scenario #2, Maggie May is diverted away from looking at her neighbors paper by her friend
References: Bennett, B. (2013). Values.com. Integrity. Retrieved from http://www.values.com/inspirational-quotes/value/32-Integrity. Collaborate. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Online Dictionary: Collaborate Meaning. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collaborate Thiroux, J., Krasemann, K. (2012). Ethics: Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.