Personal Framework
State your values
- Wisdom – I value wisdom because it is a person’s ability to learn from experience and develop their character for the future. It does not necessarily have to be one’s own experience either, wisdom can be obtained from listening to elder and history.
- Honesty – I value honesty because being truthful shows that you have integrity and have the best interest of those around you in mind. Someone who is honest is not deceptive or manipulative.
- Success – I believe success to be important because it is the result of having a driven character and not settling for mediocrity. It is important not to make success an idol, however. Success needs to be a motivator but not a dictator.
- Reliability – I value reliability because in order to be accountable and serve others you must allow others to rely on you and be dependable. This means that your character is consistent and if someone asks something of you they can count on you to fulfil your promises.
- Freedom – I believe that freedom from earthly gods such as wealth, sex, and even success is necessary for someone to evaluate their values and to act in accordance to them authentically. If you are not free you can’t really choose your own path or your own action.
- Biblical love – defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.”
Explain your worldview
- I believe in a biblical worldview. I see all things through the lens of the biblical narrative that we live in a fallen world and are in need of a savior who is Jesus Christ. What the worldview says about morality can most clearly be defined by modeling ourselves to the character of Jesus. In a biblical worldview, truth is objectively based on an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God. There are evidences in the cosmological makeup of our universe that I see as proof or at least an indication that the Bible is the written word of god. Things such as the fine-tuning of the universe, Leibniz’ contingency argument, the ontological argument, and many more. Additionally, there is a premise in post-modernism that you can believe in nothing and I simply disagree with this. Every person must put faith in their worldview and cannot know everything for certain. That is why I decide to put my faith in the biblical worldview.
Clearly identify and describe the details of your personal framework
- My personal framework is biblical. My worldview plays a large part of the reasoning behind my personal framework. I believe that the bible should be taken into consideration when determining the basis for utilization. Once again, I chose to live in the narrative of the bible and learn about the characteristics of God using all portions of the bible and accepting Jesus as the new covenant.
Justify your personal framework
- “The point is this: If God does not exist, then life is objectively meaningless; but man cannot live consistently and happily knowing that life is meaningless; so, in order to be happy, he pretends life has meaning. But this is, of course, entirely inconsistent—for without God, man and the universe are without any real significance.” ~ William Lane Craig
Questions to develop your model
- “What would Jesus do?”
- “Is this action going to require you to be misleading?”
- “Does this action glorify God?”
- “Is this action putting a certain group above others?”
Economic Framework
Clearly identify and describe the details of your personal framework
- My economic framework leans towards a laissez fair, but I understand the reasoning behind some, albeit very limited, government intervention such trust and monopoly breakups. This of course would make me a capitalist. I believe that the free market is where ideas blossom and ultimately, if left on its own, will comply with the market demand and thus there is no need for useless regulations that only make it harder for businesses to run. I believe that the sole responsibility to a business is to create profit, but I also understand that people are fallen, and that corruption is inevitable so there has to be an incentive for businesses to treat employees justly.
Justify your personal framework
- “Socialism states that you owe me something simply because I exist. Capitalism, by contrast, results in a sort of reality-forced altruism: I may not want to help you, I may dislike you, but if I don’t give you a product or service you want, I will starve. Voluntary exchange is more moral than forced redistribution.” ~ Ben Shapiro
Questions to develop your model
- “Does this decision involve too much government oversight?”
- “Will this situation resolve itself in the free market?”
- “How can we give the most power to the consumer to ensure the market is not guided by big corporate dictatorship?”
Legal Framework
Clearly identify and describe the details of your personal framework
- My legal framework is that Laws are written codes of ethics that are written to create a stable and civilized society. Laws have to have a moral component to them because they are based on ethical situations. It is illegal to steal, so this law, in its very nature, says that there is something ethically wrong with stealing. Therefore, there has to be a good ethical and moral influence on the laws that are passed. In a situation where I was able to set up my own government, I would make laws that don’t restrict the liberties of man given by God and laws that deter sin without making it autocratic. The moral minimum for businesses is to obey the law legally speaking, however, businesses should try to exceed the law and police themselves to make for the healthiest society. My framework prevents me from forcing businesses to go beyond, it leaves each with their own choice as to how they operate and the free market will decide which it likes best based on the product they provide and the way they operate.
Justify your personal framework
- “I am sure that in estimating every man’s value either in private or public life, a pure integrity is the quality we take first into calculation, and that learning, and talents are only the second.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
Questions to develop your model
- “Am I going beyond the necessary legal requirements to make this situation the best it possibly can be?”
- “How can I provide more than what I am asked?”
Ethical Model Questions
- “What would Jesus do?”
- If this decision is selfish or subservient is it being done for selfish reasons?
- “Is this action going to require you to be misleading?”
- Are you being completely truthful and upfront?
- “Does this action glorify God?”
- Is your heart pure and do you have good intent?
- “Is this action putting a certain group above others?”
- Are you favoring the rich or privileged?
- “Does this decision involve too much government oversight?”
- Are you setting up too many regulations?
- “Will this situation resolve itself in the free market?”
- Is this a decision that would be better for you common man to make in instead of being dictated to them?
- “How can we give the most power to the consumer to ensure the market is not guided by big corporate dictatorship?”
- How can we be as honest to our customer as possible?
- “Am I going beyond the necessary legal requirements to make this situation the best it possibly can be?”
- Are we fulfilling the law’s intent or just its literal text.
- “How can I provide more than what I am asked?”
- Are you covering every possible outcome?
Rationale for determining whether an action is ethical
- Not all of these questions will even apply to every situation. There is a limit to how many of the questions an ethical dilemma can pass, simply because we are not in a perfect world and there will sometimes need to be compromises. I think that putting a percentage on the number of questions a dilemma must pass does not capture the true decision-making process. Each situation pertains to certain categorical questioning. Questions should be weighted in that depending on the situation one question may have more significance than another. In light of this, the dilemma should pass a minimum of 90% of the most pertinent questions but should still be influenced by less pertinent questions.
- The dilemma must pass 100% of questions related to the Personal Framework
- The dilemma must pass 75% of questions related to the Economic Framework
- The dilemma must pass 80% of questions related to the Legal Framework