Preview

Ethical Decision Making In 'Flowers For Algernon'

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
616 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ethical Decision Making In 'Flowers For Algernon'
Nick Kang Putman Hour 1,5 15/11/16
Argument Paper The doctors Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss in "Flowers for Algernon" developed an experiment that made the subject undergo a series of tests, which would make the subject's intelligence increase to 3 times its previous capacity. Are the actions of these doctors of what they did to their subject, Charlie Gordon, be declared "ethical"? According to "Five Steps to Better Ethical Decision Making" (Dobrin) Ethics are doing what is the right thing to do. …show more content…
But that experiment failed drastically, and only left Charlie in a worse condition than before. Even though the experiment made him smarter, it made him realize how dumb he was, and his intelligence decreased to where he started off with. In FFA, Charlie writes "Was I really that stupid?" And "Oh, God, please don't take it all away."Charlie was at least a hard-working man and was happy before the experiment, but becomes suicidal and depressed after the experiment. So, the actions the doctor made were not
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Should Charlie Gordon's Doctors Act Ethically?
    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Should Charlie Gordon's Doctors Act Ethically?

    The surgery showed the doctors that the surgery can be used on humans, but it has never been done before on humans. There were some side effects to Charlie's surgery. Therefore Charlie's doctors had to act ethically. The side effects were that Charlie would be smart for a little while, and act like a normal human being, but later in life Charlie would go back to being himself again. As…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Charlie Gordon Discussion Questions
    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Charlie Gordon Discussion Questions

    They wanted to choose someone else other than Charlie.. If they had really wanted to help Charlie, they would have chosen him no matter if he was cooperative or if he was not. But the scientist had to be persuaded by Ms. Kinnian to do the surgery on Charlie.…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Charlie's Operation In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon
    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Charlie's Operation In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

    Charlie had the operation to help him become smarter, but the consequences were risky and changed his life. He thought that if he was smarter he would be able to understand more about things, but a couple of months later he started to lose that knowledge, stating that “[He’ve] got to try and hold on to some of it...the things [He’ve] learned...please don’t take it all away.” (Keyes, 80) He was worried about losing everything he knew and cared about. He had to give up many things, such as typing. He stated that “[He’ve] given up using the typewriter..my coordination is bad....[He’s] moving…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Surgery In Flowers For Algernon By Daniel Keyes
    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Surgery In Flowers For Algernon By Daniel Keyes

    After the operation, Charlie began to go through a regression. Before the operation he was smarter than he is now that he regrets. “I did a dumb thing today I for got I wasnt in Miss Kinnians class at the adult centen any more like I use to be”(Keyes 243). His regression was so awful that his I.Q decrees to 68. So it was an awful idea…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus In The Odyssey: A Character Analysis
    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Odysseus In The Odyssey: A Character Analysis

    Charlie’s actions are important because they reveal how we can make irrational decisions without knowing the dangers. Charlie was definitely being brave in choosing to do his surgery, for an act to be courageous, it must involve extreme risk or danger, but it should not be for a personal gain, it should be moral. Charlie agreed to do the surgery, but only because it was going to help him become intelligent. Sure, it would’ve helped his doctors improve the procedure for future trials. But, that doesn’t mean they are helping save someone’s life, they are only improving it temporarily. Earlier in the Flowers for Algernon movie, Charlie reveals how foolish and not courageous his actions were when he tried to use the mixer (in the factory he worked at), without proper training. For an act to be courageous, it must not be irrational. The equipment was dangerous, and Charlie could’ve gotten hurt. Later in the Flowers for Algernon movie, Charlie revealed how selfish he was when he stood up against Dr. Strauss in Chicago. It’s understandable that Charlie was standing up for himself, but he embarrassed Dr. Strauss even after all he had done for him. Charlie was acting like the sun, wanting planets (or everyone and everything) to revolve around…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ethical Perspectives The Mysterious Roses and Cold Feet
    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ethical Perspectives The Mysterious Roses and Cold Feet

    For week five I chose option 2, Ethics Game Dilemmas as my final assignment. I was not sure what to expect of the simulation and what kind of decisions I would face. It was a challenging experience and I learned about myself and my decisions through this process.…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Persuasive Essay 'Flowers For Algernon'
    • 1800 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Persuasive Essay 'Flowers For Algernon'

    The hook should relate to the topic of your essay, but it can take many forms. It can be an anecdote (very short…

    • 1800 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Ethics Of Fieldwork In The Belmont Report
    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Ethics Of Fieldwork In The Belmont Report

    Firstly, The doctors shouldn’t have chosen Charlie Gordon because they resisted in obeying the Ethics of Fieldwork in the Belmont Report. According to the Belmont Report,” the requirement to acknowledge autonomy and the requirement to protect those with diminished autonomy.” A person with an IQ of 68 has extremely diminished autonomy or intelligence. In the report it says to “Protect those with diminished autonomy.” Charlie was not protected from the harm the world has…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Flowers For Algernon Literary Analysis
    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Flowers For Algernon Literary Analysis

    “Nature is like art; there are always those elements you want to change.” In the science fiction story, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie had always wanted to be intelligent, and he did with a special operation. People today are trying to figure out how this story could become a reality. Genetic engineering is the modification of characteristics of a plant by changing its genes. Humans may give people confidence, cure them from diseases, and help people live longer.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Flowers For Algernon Persuasive Essay
    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Flowers For Algernon Persuasive Essay

    However, when he saw life differently, it was in a bad way, and he then realised he didn’t have any friends. According to the text, Charlie said, “ It’s a funny thing I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others like to have me. Now I know what it means to pull a Charlie Gordon. I’m ashamed.” (Keyes 231). Readers might also argue that the surgery was a good idea because, he remembered his childhood. However, when he remembered his past he felt very abandoned. For example, as his parents said, “ He’s got to be sent away. I don’t want him in the house any more…” If you had the offer for this surgery, and saw the emotionally inhuman pain it causes, wouldn’t you say…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Ethical dilemmas
    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ethical dilemmas

    At stake here are several conflicting values, the concern for a fellow human being, self-preservation, success of the company and the pressure to perform. As VP of the division, I am under scrutiny to deliver substantial results to my president, John Edmonds, to be seen as sensitive to my product managers needs. Lisa Walters, Kathryn’s supervisor, has pressed me for a resource action for boosting staff morale and replacing her with someone who can be more productive. I also feel that Kathryn McNeil is a hard worker who is stuck in a tricky personal situation.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Ethics: the Keys to Morality (to Kill a Mockingbird)
    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Ethics: the Keys to Morality (to Kill a Mockingbird)

    Morality is not a virtue that many can tolerate without a conscience. It was considered the critical awareness of humanity's standards of conduct that are accepted as proper. Yet, for Scout, morality becomes not only a principle, but also a necessity in order for her to survive in the prejudiced society of Maycomb County. It is solely the essence of ethics that causes her to frown upon the injustices brought about by intolerance. Thus, Scout's maturity towards understanding the vitality of morality allows her to become a noble individual in an unjust social order.…

    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Taser
    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Taser

    In the academia world there have been those that have questioned the ethics of the experiment. The experiment was ethical and unethical in certain ways (Blass, 2000). The experiment was put before the…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Ethical Dilemmas
    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ethical Dilemmas

    PASSION: Why am I here? As a child I was always attracted to the smaller, weakened animal I found in my yard, i.e. dying birds, kittens, bugs, etc. The animals we owned were never neutered which resulted in a numerous amount of puppies and kittens. I was intrigued by the cycle of life. Originally I wanted to become a veterinarian. The financial strain on my family made it apparent that it would not be possible. As fate would have it, there was a two year waiting list for nursing school, but I was readily accepted into a two year respiratory program. At the end of the respiratory program, I stayed for one more year to specialize in NICU.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Corelational Analysis Experiment 2000
    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Corelational Analysis Experiment 2000

    The ethics that could come across is deception, as the experimenter couldn't tell the participants what the experiment was about otherwise they would give the answer that the experimenter was looking for, or they may give the answer that the experimenter wasn't looking for and therefore not be true to their judgement. Thus leading to not getting informed consent before the experiment was taken place. However to overcome this participants were given a debrief at the end of the experiment and given a chance to withdraw their results. Although…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics