Edward Snowden Virtue Ethics Essay

Virtue Ethics: Edward Snowden
When talking about ethics, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate right from wrong. The controversy that exist surrounding issues to deal with virtue ethics makes it even more difficult to see through the blurred lines of good actions and bad actions. The Edward Snowden case presents a typical scenario of where there are difficulties in determining whether he acted virtuously or not. However, a focused examination of the forces behind his actions can help identify whether he acted virtuously or not. There are certain virtues and vices that can be identified in Snowden’s actions and an analysis of these can help reveal whether his actions were ethical or not. The most basic virtue is honesty; the ability to tell the truth. Many teachers of ethics note that honesty is one of the virtues that is lacking in the modern society. Many people have resulted to telling twisted versions of the truth in a bid to advance their viewpoints and perceptions. Edward Snowden’s actions were basically based on the virtue of honesty. His actions were driven by the idea of letting people know the truth about how the government was spying on them. This information had not been public knowledge and the government had deliberately kept it secret. In an attempt to reveal the truth, Edward
When working for an agency such as the CIA, secrecy and confidentiality of information is of great importance. Employees such as Snowden sign contracts indicating that they will not reveal any sensitive information no matter what. However, Snowden chose to go against his employer to reveal confidential information. Such an act can be seen as unethical, especially because he stole the information from government servers. When looking at this case from such a perspective, one might see Snowden as a traitor who went behind his employer’s