Answer the questions - Assignment Example

The parable of the Sadhu Did McCoy do anything wrong? If so, what and why? In my opinion, McCoy did the wrong thing when he started helping the Sadhu and then stopped before he had concluded that the help he had administered worked. He solved one piece of the Sadhu’s problem, treating him for hypothermia, but then ignored the final welfare of the Sadhu. Besides, he did not do a follow-up to ensure that the Sadhu was fine.What can we say in McCoy’s defense? How might you construct a defense of his actions and argue he did either the right thing or at least nothing bad?

In McCoy’s case, he had several constraints to deal with in making the decision to save the Sadhu. For a start, he was prone to suffering altitude sickness since he had suffered altitude sickness before. Secondly, McCoy was tired from the lock trek he had already been on; therefore, carrying the Sadhu down the slope was going to be a more than impossible task to accomplish. Additionally, everyone in the group was disjointed, and thus there was no common ground to make a decision.As a defense for McCoy, I would say that the circumstances that prevailed in the mountain provided him with little or no rope on which to make an informed decision.

Each decision he would have made would have had consequences. The decision he made to treat the Sadhu for hypothermia helped a great deal to bring the Sadhu back to vigor from the lifeless state he had been in prior to the McCoy’s intervention. In conclusion, McCoy did something to mitigate the situation even if it was enough to suffice the situation.If the Sadhu had been a child, or a beautiful Western woman, do you think McCoy would have gone to the top or stopped and helped? Why or why not?

Should that matter?In this case, I think McCoy would have stopped to help. Women and children are vulnerable and as such, McCoy would have been motivated to help. Additionally, there is a vast chasm between the Western culture and Asian culture since McCoy hails from the western culture he would have stopped to help the western woman. Besides, children are a responsibility of everyone in the Western culture; therefore, he would have also been forced to help if it were a child. McCoy helping a western woman or a child matters because failure to do so would lead us to question his values, as well as moral grounding.

Women and children are vulnerable and as such, it is essential to assist them.How much should context matter in our analysis? Context is essential for us to empathize with McCoy in this situation. Besides, context enables to learn from experiences and hence make a better decision in the future. The conditions that prevailed in McCoy’s case were grave, and McCoy was in danger of being spent up or getting an attack of altitude sickness.Should our standards be different at 15-20,000 feet above sea level on a mountaintop in freezing cold temperatures?

Absolutely. The dangers that one faces on top of the mountain are life-threatening in nature – altitude sickness, accidents, hypothermia – to mention but a few. When making a judgment, in this case, therefore, it is essential to empathize with the individuals involved and the situation that presented.How about when other individuals and groups are present? Does that make us more or less responsible? Yes. The fact there were many people implies a variety of viewpoints in making decisions. These varying perspectives further complicate the matter since there was no agreed framework for making decisions.

Besides, people will try to blame others and distance themselves from the crisis at hand if it involves making decisions that may challenge their beliefs.What needs to change to shift the dynamic and create better outcomes for all stakeholders?First, there needs to be an agreed structured way of responding to crises like the one that is presented. An agreed structure gives everyone a clear direction as to what is expected of them in a similar situation (Ferrell, Odies, & Fraedrich 308).Secondly, the team needs to have a common purpose and an agreed consensus to mitigate the situation.

Besides, a leader needs to come up, who can direct people towards a predefined goal in the crisis (Ferrell et. al. 310)McCoy seems to regret his decision to leave the Sadhu. It is a decision he made in just a few moments with little reflection, yet it has had a profound impact on the next 20-30 years of his life. What does this tell you about the challenge of living a good life? If moral dilemmas don’t come before us and announce themselves, how can we do a better job of seeing them coming?

What can be learned from moral mistakes?Living a good life requires consistency between our values and our actions. In addition, a good life requires a moral grounding that cannot be easily wavered by hardships that we may face at some points in our lives.To identify ethical dilemmas, there is a need to study extensively, rehearse the various difficulties that may come about, and rehearse possible resolutions to the situations that may arise at any given point. It is also essential for one to develop a high moral intelligence grounded in values.

Once this kind of orientation is attained, it is far easier for someone to face moral dilemmas and make decisions that involve the least damages.Moral lessons play a very crucial role in helping people acquire emotional intelligence. Moral lessons teach one the importance of sticking to one’s values even when in the midst of very difficult crises. In addition, moral lessons make someone grow morally, as well as making it easy for someone to weight between several near-impossible situations and make a decision with the least detrimental consequences.

Work CitedFerrell, Odies C., and John Fraedrich. Business ethics: Ethical decision-making & cases. Cengage learning, 2014..