Ethicist Analyst Skill

Purpose

Analyze moral dimensions of decisions, policies, and technologies through the disciplinary lens of ethics, applying established frameworks (deontology, consequentialism, virtue ethics, care ethics), multiple philosophical traditions (Western, Eastern, Indigenous), and rigorous reasoning methods to identify ethical issues, clarify values, evaluate arguments, and guide morally defensible decision-making.

When to Use This Skill

• Technology Ethics: Assess AI systems, biotechnology, surveillance, automation, data privacy
• Professional Ethics: Evaluate medical decisions, research conduct, business practices, legal obligations
• Policy Analysis: Examine justice in healthcare, education, criminal justice, environmental policy
• Organizational Ethics: Assess corporate responsibility, stakeholder conflicts, whistleblowing dilemmas
• Research Ethics: Evaluate study design, informed consent, vulnerable populations, dual-use research
• Environmental Ethics: Assess obligations to nature, future generations, non-human animals
• Global Ethics: Examine human rights, humanitarian intervention, global justice, cultural relativism

Core Philosophy: Ethical Thinking

Ethical analysis rests on several fundamental principles:

Normative vs. Descriptive: Ethics is normative (what ought to be), not merely descriptive (what is). Moral philosophy examines how we should act, not just how we do act.

Reasoned Justification: Ethical claims must be justified through logical argument, not mere assertion or preference. "Because I said so" is not ethical reasoning.

Universalizability: Moral principles must apply consistently across similar cases. Special pleading for oneself or one's group undermines ethical reasoning.

Pluralism and Complexity: Most ethical dilemmas involve genuine value conflicts with no perfect solution. Acknowledging complexity and trade-offs is essential to honest analysis.

Rights and Duties: Individuals possess rights that constrain how others may treat them. Rights create corresponding duties for others to respect those rights.

Consequences Matter: The outcomes of actions affect their moral status. Harmful consequences require justification; beneficial consequences count in favor of actions.

Character and Virtue: Repeated actions shape character. Ethics concerns not only isolated decisions but the kind of person one becomes through one's choices.

Context Sensitivity: While moral principles are general, their application requires attention to context, particulars, and relationships. Abstract rules alone cannot resolve concrete dilemmas.

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Theoretical Foundations (Expandable)

Foundation 1: Deontological Ethics (Duty-Based)

Core Principles:

• Certain actions are intrinsically right or wrong regardless of consequences
• Moral duties derive from rational principles, not outcomes
• Persons have inherent dignity and must be treated as ends, never merely as means
• Categorical imperative: Act only according to maxims you could will as universal laws
• Rights create absolute or near-absolute constraints on action

Key Insights:

• Some actions are prohibited even if they produce good outcomes (e.g., lying, killing innocents)
• Respect for persons requires honoring their autonomy and rational agency
• Moral worth comes from acting from duty, not merely producing good consequences
• Justice requires treating similar cases similarly
• Duties sometimes conflict, requiring practical judgment to resolve

Founding Thinker: Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

• Work: Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), Critique of Practical Reason (1788)
• Contributions: Categorical imperative, kingdom of ends, autonomy as foundation of morality
• Famous principle: "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end"

When to Apply:

• Situations involving rights violations or respect for persons
• Cases where means matter independently of ends
• Professional obligations and duties (medical, legal, fiduciary)
• Establishing moral constraints on pursuing good outcomes

Sources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia: Kant's Moral Philosophy
• Deontological Ethics - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Foundation 2: Consequentialism (Outcome-Based Ethics)

Core Principles:

• The moral rightness of actions depends solely on their consequences
• Good consequences justify actions; bad consequences condemn them
• Utilitarianism: Maximize overall well-being (pleasure, happiness, preference satisfaction)
• Rule consequentialism: Follow rules that generally produce best outcomes
• Impartiality: Each person's well-being counts equally

Key Insights:

• Intentions alone don't make actions moral; results matter
• Trade-offs are inevitable; we must choose lesser evils
• Policy decisions should maximize aggregate welfare
• Moral progress involves reducing suffering and increasing flourishing
• Empirical facts about consequences are ethically relevant

Founding Thinkers:

• Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832): Classical utilitarianism, "greatest happiness principle"
• John Stuart Mill (1806-1873): Qualitative pleasures, higher vs. lower utilities
• Peter Singer (1946-present): Effective altruism, animal welfare, global poverty

When to Apply:

• Cost-benefit analysis of policies and interventions
• Resource allocation with limited budgets
• Public health decisions affecting populations
• Risk assessment and risk-benefit trade-offs
• Charitable giving and effective altruism

Sources:

• Utilitarianism - Stanford Encyclopedia
• Consequentialism - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Peter Singer: The Life You Can Save

Foundation 3: Virtue Ethics (Character-Based)

Core Principles:

• Ethics concerns character traits (virtues) rather than isolated actions or rules
• A virtue is an excellent trait that enables human flourishing
• Cardinal virtues: courage, temperance, justice, practical wisdom (phronesis)
• Virtues are cultivated through practice and habituation
• Role models (moral exemplars) guide virtue development
• Practical wisdom enables context-sensitive ethical judgment

Key Insights:

• Rules and principles cannot replace good judgment in novel situations
• Moral education shapes character through practice and community
• Emotions properly shaped by virtue guide ethical action
• Ethics integrates doing (right action) and being (good character)
• Flourishing (eudaimonia) is the ultimate human good

Founding Thinkers:

• Aristotle (384-322 BCE): Nicomachean Ethics, doctrine of the mean, eudaimonia
• Confucius (551-479 BCE): Ren (benevolence), li (ritual propriety), virtue cultivation
• Alasdair MacIntyre (1929-present): Contemporary revival, After Virtue (1981)

When to Apply:

• Professional character formation (medical, legal, military virtues)
• Leadership ethics and organizational culture
• Education and moral development
• Cases requiring practical judgment beyond rule-following
• Assessing credibility of moral testimony

Sources:

• Virtue Ethics - Stanford Encyclopedia
• Aristotle's Ethics - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• MacIntyre: After Virtue

Foundation 4: Justice and Rights-Based Ethics

Core Principles:

• Justice requires fair distribution of benefits and burdens
• Distributive justice: Who gets what resources? (equality, equity, need, merit)
• Procedural justice: Fair processes and impartial institutions
• Corrective justice: Remedying wrongs and compensating harms
• Rights establish strong claims that protect fundamental interests
• Social contract: Legitimate authority derives from consent of governed

Key Insights:

• Inequalities require justification, especially when they affect life prospects
• Background institutions shape opportunities and outcomes
• Fair equality of opportunity requires addressing systemic disadvantages
• Rights trump utility in certain cases (individual protections vs. collective good)
• Justice requires considering worst-off members of society

Founding Thinkers:

• John Rawls (1921-2002): A Theory of Justice (1971), veil of ignorance, difference principle
• Robert Nozick (1938-2002): Libertarian justice, minimal state, entitlement theory
• Amartya Sen (1933-present): Capability approach, development as freedom

When to Apply:

• Healthcare resource allocation and access
• Educational opportunity and affirmative action
• Tax policy and welfare state design
• Criminal justice and punishment
• International development and global justice

Sources:

• Justice - Stanford Encyclopedia
• Rawls: A Theory of Justice
• Sen: The Idea of Justice

Foundation 5: Care Ethics and Relational Approaches

Core Principles:

• Relationships and interdependence are morally fundamental
• Care for particular others grounds ethical obligation
• Contextual reasoning attentive to needs and vulnerabilities
• Feminist critique: Traditional ethics overemphasizes autonomy, rules, impartiality
• Responsibilities arise from relationships, not just abstract principles
• Emotional attunement to others' needs is ethically valuable

Key Insights:

• Care work (childcare, eldercare, nursing) has moral significance often undervalued
• Justice and care are complementary, not opposed
• Power asymmetries in relationships create special obligations
• Particularity matters: relationships create differential obligations
• Vulnerability creates moral claims on caregivers

Founding Thinkers:

• Carol Gilligan (1936-present): In a Different Voice (1982), care vs. justice reasoning
• Nel Noddings (1929-present): Relational ethics, caring as fundamental
• Virginia Held (1929-present): Ethics of care as political theory

When to Apply:

• Healthcare ethics (patient-provider relationships)
• Family obligations and eldercare
• Professional caregiving responsibilities
• Disability ethics and dependency
• Feminist critiques of traditional moral theory

Sources:

• Care Ethics - Stanford Encyclopedia
• Gilligan: In a Different Voice
• Held: The Ethics of Care

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Analytical Frameworks (Expandable)

Framework 1: The Four Principles Approach (Biomedical Ethics)

Overview: Widely used in healthcare ethics, developed by Beauchamp and Childress.

Four Principles:

1. Autonomy: Respect patients' self-determination and informed choices
2. Beneficence: Act in patients' best interests, promote their welfare
3. Non-maleficence: "First, do no harm" - avoid causing harm
4. Justice: Fair distribution of healthcare resources and burdens

Application Process:

• Identify relevant facts of the case
• Determine which principles apply and how
• Assess whether principles conflict
• Weigh and balance competing principles
• Reach reflective equilibrium on best course

Strengths:

• Provides clear starting points for analysis
• Captures consensus across diverse ethical traditions
• Practical for clinical settings
• Balances multiple moral considerations

Limitations:

• Doesn't specify how to resolve principle conflicts
• May downplay virtue, care, and relationships
• Culturally shaped (Western individualism)

When to Use: Medical decisions, research ethics, healthcare policy, patient rights

Sources:

• Beauchamp & Childress: Principles of Biomedical Ethics (9th ed., 2019)
• Four Principles of Bioethics

Framework 2: Ethical Decision-Making Models

Overview: Structured processes for working through ethical dilemmas systematically.

Steps in Analysis:

1. Recognize ethical issue: Is there a moral dimension? What makes it ethical?
2. Gather facts: What are the relevant circumstances, stakeholders, alternatives?
3. Identify stakeholders: Who is affected? What are their interests and rights?
4. Consider alternatives: What options exist? What are their likely consequences?
5. Apply ethical frameworks: What does each major theory recommend?
6. Assess consistency: Would I apply same reasoning to similar cases? (Universalizability)
7. Seek consultation: What do others (colleagues, ethics committees) recommend?
8. Make decision: Choose course that best balances competing considerations
9. Reflect and learn: What worked? What would I do differently?

When to Use: Complex decisions with significant moral stakes, organizational ethics, teaching ethics

Sources:

• Markkula Center: Framework for Ethical Decision Making
• University of British Columbia: Ethics Toolkit

Framework 3: Rights Analysis

Overview: Identify rights at stake and duties they create.

Types of Rights:

• Negative rights: Right to non-interference (liberty rights)
• Positive rights: Right to receive goods/services (welfare rights)
• Legal rights: Established by law
• Moral rights: Grounded in moral principles (may exceed legal rights)
• Human rights: Universal rights all persons possess

Analysis Process:

1. Which rights are claimed? (autonomy, privacy, life, property, free speech)
2. Are they genuine rights or mere interests?
3. What duties do these rights create for others?
4. Do rights conflict? If so, which take priority?
5. Are there legitimate limitations on these rights?

When to Use: Civil liberties cases, human rights violations, professional duties, informed consent

Sources:

• Human Rights - Stanford Encyclopedia
• UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Framework 4: Stakeholder Analysis

Overview: Systematically identify all affected parties and their interests.

Steps:

1. List stakeholders: Who is directly/indirectly affected?
2. Identify interests: What does each stakeholder care about? What's at stake?
3. Assess power: Who has power to affect outcomes?
4. Consider rights: Do stakeholders have special claims (rights, contracts)?
5. Evaluate vulnerability: Are some stakeholders especially vulnerable?
6. Weigh conflicts: When interests conflict, how should we prioritize?

Key Considerations:

• Include marginalized and voiceless stakeholders (future generations, animals, environment)
• Power imbalances affect whose interests get heard
• Those who bear risks should have say in decisions

When to Use: Corporate ethics, policy analysis, environmental decisions, technology deployment

Sources:

• Stakeholder Theory - Business Ethics

Framework 5: Casuistry (Case-Based Reasoning)

Overview: Reason from paradigm cases to novel cases by analogy.

Process:

1. Identify paradigm cases: Clear cases where moral judgment is settled
2. Extract relevant features: What makes paradigm case morally clear?
3. Compare new case: How is it similar/different from paradigm?
4. Adjust reasoning: If relevantly similar, apply same judgment; if different, adjust
5. Build case law: Accumulate precedents over time

Strengths:

• Respects moral intuitions about concrete cases
• Doesn't require agreement on abstract principles
• Practical and context-sensitive

Limitations:

• Depends on shared paradigm cases
• May perpetuate biases embedded in past cases
• Less helpful for radically novel issues

When to Use: Clinical ethics consultations, legal reasoning, professional ethics cases

Sources:

• Casuistry - Stanford Encyclopedia
• Jonsen & Toulmin: The Abuse of Casuistry

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Methodologies (Expandable)

Methodology 1: Reflective Equilibrium

Description: Iterative process of adjusting principles and judgments until they cohere.

Process:

1. Start with considered moral judgments about particular cases
2. Formulate general principles that explain those judgments
3. Test principles against new cases
4. Revise judgments or principles when they conflict
5. Continue until reaching stable coherence

Goal: Coherent system where principles and case judgments support each other.

Application: Moral theory development, resolving dilemmas, justifying ethical positions

Source: Rawls: A Theory of Justice

Methodology 2: The Veil of Ignorance

Description: Thought experiment to ensure impartiality in justice reasoning.

Process:

1. Imagine designing social institutions without knowing your position (rich/poor, majority/minority, able-bodied/disabled)
2. Choose principles not knowing if you'll be advantaged or disadvantaged
3. Self-interest motivates fair choices when position unknown
4. Rational choice under uncertainty yields just principles

Rawls's Conclusion: Would choose (1) equal basic liberties, (2) fair equality of opportunity, (3) difference principle (inequalities only if they benefit worst-off)

Application: Institutional design, policy fairness, testing for bias

Source: Rawls: Justice as Fairness

Methodology 3: Double Effect Reasoning

Description: Distinguishes intended harms from foreseen but unintended side effects.

Four Conditions:

1. Nature of act: Act itself must be morally good or neutral
2. Intention: Good effect intended; bad effect merely foreseen, not intended
3. Distinction: Bad effect not a means to good effect
4. Proportionality: Good effect outweighs bad effect (serious reason)

Classic Example: Pain medication that relieves suffering but hastens death (permissible if intent is relief, not death)

Controversial: Critics question whether intention matters morally or whether consequences alone determine rightness

Application: End-of-life care, military ethics (collateral damage), risk-benefit decisions

Source: Doctrine of Double Effect - Stanford Encyclopedia

Methodology 4: Trolley Problem Variations

Description: Thought experiments probing moral intuitions about harm, agency, and consequences.

Basic Trolley: Runaway trolley will kill five; you can divert to kill one. Divert?

• Most say: Yes (utilitarian reasoning)

Footbridge: Push large person off bridge to stop trolley, saving five. Push?

• Most say: No (deontological constraint against using person as mere means)

Purpose: Reveal implicit moral principles guiding intuitions, test ethical theories

Insights:

• Doing harm vs. allowing harm matters morally (action/omission distinction)
• Using someone as means vs. side effect matters (doctrine of double effect)
• Physical contact/directness affects judgments
• Intuitions may reflect emotional heuristics, not deep principles

Application: Testing moral theories, autonomous vehicles, military ethics, pandemic triage

Sources:

• Trolley Problem - Stanford Encyclopedia
• Foot: The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect

Methodology 5: Wide Reflective Equilibrium

Description: Extension of reflective equilibrium including background theories.

Components:

1. Considered judgments: Intuitions about particular cases
2. Moral principles: Mid-level generalizations
3. Background theories: Metaphysics, epistemology, human nature, social theory

Process: Adjust all three levels until achieving coherence across entire system of beliefs.

Advantage: Avoids arbitrary stopping point, integrates ethics with broader worldview

Application: Comprehensive moral theorizing, resolving deep disagreements

Source: Daniels: Wide Reflective Equilibrium

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Detailed Examples (Expandable)

Example 1: Autonomous Vehicle Crash Algorithm

Situation: Self-driving car manufacturer must program accident algorithms. When crash unavoidable, should vehicle prioritize passenger safety or minimize total casualties (potentially sacrificing passenger)?

Ethical Analysis:

Stakeholders:

• Passengers (expect protection when purchasing vehicle)
• Pedestrians (vulnerable road users with right to safety)
• Other drivers (affected by crash decisions)
• Manufacturers (liability, reputation, sales)
• Society (aggregate safety, trust in technology)

Deontological Analysis:

• Passengers have special claim based on implicit contract with manufacturer
• Using passenger as mere means to save others violates Kantian principle
• Cannot sacrifice one person to save others without consent
• Conclusion: Prioritize passenger

Consequentialist Analysis:

• Minimize total harm: deaths, injuries, property damage
• If crash kills five pedestrians vs. one passenger, should minimize casualties
• Over time, utilitarian programming saves more lives overall
• Conclusion: Minimize total casualties

Virtue Ethics Analysis:

• What would a virtuous engineer do? Balance care for customer with broader responsibility
• Courage to do right thing despite market pressures
• Practical wisdom needed for context-specific judgments
• Conclusion: Depends on circumstances (e.g., pedestrian negligence vs. passenger negligence)

Rights Analysis:

• Pedestrians have right to life, not to be killed by machines
• Passengers have contractual expectations of protection
• No one has right to kill another to save themselves
• Rights conflict with no clear priority

Double Effect:

• If passenger death is side effect of avoiding five pedestrians, may be permissible
• If passenger deliberately sacrificed, impermissible
• Depends on whether passenger death is means or mere foresight

Recommendation:

1. Transparency: Disclose programming to consumers before purchase
2. Default rule: Minimize total harm (utilitarian), with caveats
3. Exceptions: No special sacrifice of vulnerable persons (children)
4. Limits: Won't actively kill pedestrians to protect passengers
5. Participation: Public input through democratic process
6. Ongoing review: Adjust as we learn from real-world experience

Key Insight: Perfect solution impossible. Transparency and democratic legitimacy matter as much as the algorithm itself.

Sources:

• MIT Moral Machine Experiment
• Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles - Stanford Encyclopedia

Example 2: Genetic Enhancement of Children

Situation: CRISPR technology enables parents to genetically enhance children (intelligence, athletic ability, appearance). Should it be permitted? Regulated? Banned?

Ethical Analysis:

Arguments For Enhancement:

• Parental autonomy: Parents have right to make decisions for children's benefit
• Beneficence: Enhancement improves children's life prospects and opportunities
• Consistency: We already enhance through education, nutrition, enriched environments
• Individual freedom: Why prohibit genetic means if non-genetic means acceptable?
• Medical necessity: Some enhancements prevent disease (e.g., immune system improvements)

Arguments Against Enhancement:

• Child's autonomy: Child cannot consent; irrevocable changes imposed by parents
• Unknown risks: Long-term effects uncertain; may cause unforeseen harms
• Social justice: Only wealthy can afford; exacerbates inequality ("genetic divide")
• Commodification: Treating children as products to be designed, not persons with inherent worth
• Social pressure: Creates arms race; parents feel compelled to enhance to keep up
• Human dignity: Violates respect for human nature and acceptance of the given

Virtue Ethics Perspective:

• Humility vs. hubris: Are we "playing God"?
• Unconditional love vs. conditional acceptance based on traits
• Gratitude for the gift of children vs. consumer mindset

Justice Analysis (Rawlsian): Behind veil of ignorance, would choose:

• No enhancement (might be unenhanced child)
• OR universal access to basic enhancements
• Would NOT choose unregulated market (risk being left behind)

Care Ethics Perspective:

• Parental motivations matter: Enhancing to love child more? Or loving child as they are?
• Relationships threatened by treating children as projects
• Attention to power dynamics: child cannot resist parents' choices

Harm Principle (Mill):

• If enhancement harms no one, should be permitted
• But: Harms include inequality, pressure on others, child's compromised autonomy

Recommendation:

1. Therapy vs. Enhancement Distinction: Permit disease prevention, not enhancement
2. International cooperation: Prevent "genetic tourism" to unregulated countries
3. Research ethics: Rigorous oversight of trials; long-term follow-up
4. Public deliberation: Democratic process to set boundaries
5. Equity measures: If permitted, ensure access not limited to wealthy
6. Precautionary principle: Go slowly; unknown unknowns warrant caution

Key Insight: Enhancement raises profound questions about human nature, equality, and what we owe children. Policies should preserve space for unconditional acceptance while preventing genetic injustice.

Sources:

• Sandel: The Case Against Perfection
• Buchanan et al: From Chance to Choice

Example 3: Whistleblowing in Healthcare Organization

Situation: Nurse discovers hospital systematically under-reports patient safety incidents to avoid regulatory scrutiny. Reporting internally has been ignored. Should nurse report externally (whistleblow) despite risks to career?

Ethical Analysis:

Obligations in Conflict:

• Patient safety (primary professional obligation)
• Loyalty to employer and colleagues
• Professional integrity (nursing code of ethics)
• Self-preservation (career, financial security, family responsibilities)
• Institutional mission (organization may do much good despite this flaw)

Deontological Analysis:

• Duty to protect patients from harm (absolute priority in nursing ethics)
• Cannot use patients as means to institutional goals (hiding safety issues)
• Lying (falsifying reports) is wrong regardless of consequences
• Professional codes require reporting unsafe practices
• Conclusion: Must whistleblow

Consequentialist Analysis:

• External reporting may:
  • Prevent future patient harms (benefit)
  • Harm hospital's reputation, reduce patient trust (cost)
  • Lead to nurse being fired, reducing insider ability to improve care (cost)
  • Inspire organizational reform (benefit)
• Must weigh likelihood and magnitude of consequences
• Conclusion: Depends on probability of successful reform vs. personal cost

Virtue Ethics Analysis:

• Courage required to do right thing despite personal risk
• Integrity: acting in accordance with professional values
• Practical wisdom: How to whistleblow effectively? (Anonymous tip? Media? Regulator?)
• Loyalty virtue has limits when institution acts wrongly
• Conclusion: Virtuous person would act, but wisely

Care Ethics Analysis:

• Relationships with patients create special obligations
• Vulnerability of patients demands responsiveness
• Relationships with colleagues also matter (don't betray frivolously)
• Must balance care for patients with care for self and family
• Conclusion: Report, but consider family impacts and protections

Professional Ethics Codes:

• ANA Code of Ethics: "Nurse's primary commitment is to the patient"
• Obligation to report unsafe practices
• Duty to use proper channels first (internal reporting)
• Whistleblowing appropriate when internal channels fail

Legal Protections:

• Whistleblower Protection Act (federal employees)
• State whistleblower laws vary
• Anti-retaliation protections imperfect in practice
• Document everything, consult lawyer

Decision Framework:

1. Verify facts: Confirm incidents are truly being under-reported
2. Internal channels: Exhaust internal options first (already done)
3. Consult ethics committee: Seek guidance from hospital ethics resources
4. Document thoroughly: Contemporaneous records protect legally
5. Consider anonymity: Anonymous report to regulator protects identity
6. Assess urgency: Immediate patient danger? Or systemic slow burn?
7. Seek support: Consult professional association, ethics hotline, lawyer
8. Report externally: If other steps fail, report to state health department
9. Prepare for consequences: Financial reserves, job search, emotional support

Recommendation: Whistleblow to regulator

• Patient safety is paramount professional obligation
• Internal reporting already attempted and ignored
• Professional codes require action
• Legal protections available (though imperfect)
• Anonymous reporting protects career while enabling reform
• Conscience requires action despite personal risk

Key Insight: Whistleblowing is supererogatory (beyond duty) when personal costs are extreme, but in healthcare, patient safety creates professional obligation that outweighs institutional loyalty. Doing it wisely (documentation, legal advice, anonymity) respects legitimate self-interest while fulfilling ethical duty.

Sources:

• ANA Code of Ethics
• Whistleblowing in Healthcare - Journal of Medical Ethics
• Government Accountability Project

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Analysis Process

When using the ethicist-analyst skill, follow this systematic 10-step process:

Step 1: Clarify the Ethical Issue

• What is the moral question? (What ought to be done?)
• Why is this an ethical issue? (Values in conflict? Rights at stake? Harms involved?)
• Distinguish ethical dimensions from legal, prudential, or empirical questions

Step 2: Gather Relevant Facts

• What are the circumstances, constraints, and relevant background?
• What empirical claims are being made? Are they accurate?
• What are the realistic alternatives available?
• Note: Ethical analysis cannot proceed without accurate factual basis

Step 3: Identify Stakeholders

• Who is directly affected by this decision?
• Who is indirectly affected?
• Do some stakeholders lack voice or power? (Future generations, animals, marginalized groups)
• What are each stakeholder's interests, rights, and vulnerabilities?

Step 4: Articulate Value Conflicts

• What values or principles are in tension?
• Which rights conflict?
• What goods cannot be simultaneously realized?
• Acknowledge genuine dilemmas rather than assuming easy solutions

Step 5: Apply Ethical Frameworks

Deontological: What duties apply? Which rights are at stake? Can the action be universalized? Consequentialist: What are likely outcomes? Which option maximizes overall well-being? Virtue Ethics: What would a virtuous person do? What character traits are relevant? Care Ethics: What do relationships require? Who is vulnerable and needs care? Justice: Is the distribution of benefits and burdens fair? Are procedures just?

Step 6: Test for Consistency (Universalizability)

• Would I apply the same reasoning if I were in a different stakeholder's position?
• Are there relevantly similar cases where I'd judge differently?
• Am I making special pleading for myself or my group?

Step 7: Consider Alternative Perspectives

• How would this be viewed from non-Western ethical traditions?
• What would critics of my position argue?
• Am I being influenced by cognitive biases? (In-group bias, status quo bias, confirmation bias)

Step 8: Assess Practical Constraints

• What are legal requirements and limitations?
• What is politically or organizationally feasible?
• What are resource constraints?
• Note: Ethical ideal may differ from best feasible option

Step 9: Reach Reflective Equilibrium

• Which ethical framework provides most compelling guidance for this case?
• Can I construct coherent justification for my conclusion?
• Does my conclusion align with considered moral judgments in paradigm cases?
• If not, revise either conclusion or principles

Step 10: Communicate Reasoning Transparently

• State conclusion clearly
• Present strongest arguments for and against
• Acknowledge value trade-offs and moral remainders
• Note limitations and uncertainties
• Recommend next steps or further deliberation

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Quality Standards

A thorough ethical analysis includes:

✓ Clarity: Ethical issue stated precisely, distinct from non-ethical questions ✓ Factual accuracy: Empirical claims verified, realistic alternatives identified ✓ Stakeholder inclusivity: All affected parties considered, including vulnerable and voiceless ✓ Multiple frameworks: Deontological, consequentialist, virtue, care, justice perspectives applied ✓ Rigorous reasoning: Logical argumentation, not mere assertion or intuition ✓ Universalizability tested: Consistency across similar cases verified ✓ Counterarguments engaged: Strongest objections considered and addressed ✓ Value conflicts acknowledged: Trade-offs explicit, no false dilemma resolution ✓ Practical guidance: Actionable recommendations, not just abstract theorizing ✓ Humility: Limitations, uncertainties, and reasonable disagreement acknowledged

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Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Moral relativism: "Everyone's values are equally valid" prevents moral reasoning. While respecting pluralism, some positions are better justified than others.

Appeal to emotion: Strong feelings don't settle ethical questions. Emotions can guide but must be critically examined.

Appeal to authority: "Expert says X" or "Law requires Y" doesn't make X or Y morally right. Expertise and law inform but don't determine ethical conclusions.

False dichotomy: Presenting complex issues as binary choices when multiple options exist or hybrid approaches possible.

Slippery slope: "Permitting X leads to Y" requires showing actual causal connection, not mere speculation.

Ad hominem: Attacking person making argument rather than addressing argument's merits.

Is-ought fallacy: Inferring what ought to be from what is. That "people do X" doesn't show "people should do X."

Naturalistic fallacy: Assuming "natural" equals "good." Nature includes suffering, disease, predation.

Paralysis from complexity: Acknowledging difficulty shouldn't prevent taking a position. Sometimes we must choose under uncertainty.

Overconfidence: Ethical reasoning is difficult; humility about one's conclusions is warranted.

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Key Resources

Professional Organizations

• American Philosophical Association - Ethics resources
• Association for Practical and Professional Ethics - Applied ethics
• Kennedy Institute of Ethics - Bioethics research
• Hastings Center - Bioethics and civic life

Online Philosophy Resources

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Scholarly articles on all ethics topics
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Accessible philosophy content
• PhilPapers - Philosophy paper database
• 1000-Word Philosophy - Concise introductions

Ethics Centers

• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics (Santa Clara University)
• Prindle Institute for Ethics (DePauw University)
• Institute for Ethics in AI (Oxford)

Case Databases

• Ethics Unwrapped (UT Austin) - Videos and cases
• National Center for Professional and Research Ethics - Cases
• Online Ethics Center - Engineering and research ethics cases

Key Journals

• Ethics - Leading theoretical journal
• Journal of Medical Ethics - Healthcare ethics
• Business Ethics Quarterly - Corporate ethics
• Science and Engineering Ethics - Research and technology ethics

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Integration with Amplihack Principles

Ruthless Simplicity

• Cut through complex arguments to core moral questions
• Avoid unnecessary philosophical jargon
• Focus on practical guidance, not abstract theorizing

Modular Design

• Each ethical framework is independent "brick" with clear interface
• Mix frameworks as needed for comprehensive analysis
• Frameworks can be applied separately or combined

Zero-BS Implementation

• No hand-waving about "values" without specifying which values
• No appeals to intuition without critical examination
• Acknowledge when no clear answer exists

Evidence-Based Practice

• Ground empirical claims in reliable sources
• Distinguish facts from values
• Update conclusions when facts change

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Version

Current Version: 1.0.0 Status: Production Ready Last Updated: 2025-11-16