Moral courage in a world of dilemmas: Ethical decisions grow from a process that promotes rational discourse against emotional tensions

School Administrator, Feb, 2002 by Rushworth M. Kidder, Patricia L. Born

Second, these values provide a much-needed glue within a society of great racial and ethnic diversity. Our research suggests these five values are held in common by individuals who otherwise may be very different--giving us a baseline for building toward greater harmony and stronger programs in conflict resolution.

Third, these values are held in common despite deep religious differences. We find, for example, that individuals who claim to have no religion at all identify exactly the same core moral values as those who tell us they are deeply religious.

These findings make it clear that a question intended to stifle all discussions of values in schools--"Whose values will you teach?"--raises a false fear. The answer is "Our values--the ones we can discover by asking our community what values are most important." The fact is that you don't need to impose values on anyone because you can find the core values already in place.

Commenting on the importance of values, Barry Z. Posner and Warren H. Schmidt, in an article titled "An Updated Look at the Values and Expectations of Federal Government Executives" in the January/February 1994 issue of Public Administration Review, note that "because they are at the core of people's personality, values influence the choices they make, the people they trust, the appeals they respond to, and the way they invest their time and energy. In turbulent times, values give a sense of direction amid conflicting views and demands."

Because these values are held in common, they provide a solid starting point for making ethical decisions. They also are important to identifying goals, defining objectives, creating a plan of implementation and evaluating results along the way. We must ask, "Is this goal/plan/result consistent with our stated values?" Even when we may disagree as individuals--on, for example, the busing of minority children to other school districts--we probably can agree on the value of equal opportunity as a cornerstone to quality education.

Ethical Dilemmas

Once we understand and explore the positive values that drive our behavior, then we can more easily understand the two great drivers of ethical issues. One kind of ethical issue arises because of right versus wrong, where a core value (like honesty) is violated by dishonest behavior. The other kind arises because of right versus right, where two values on our core list come into conflict.

While right-versus-wrong issues are common--and very important within the school context--the really tough decisions typically arise because both sides of a dilemma are rooted in values and, in many respects, are right. These dilemmas are markedly different from choices of the right-versus-wrong sort. For example, if one option in a decision is identified as being "right" and another as being "wrong," we find that most people would choose to do what is right.

To be sure, there often is a moral temptation to do the wrong thing-"No one will know if I do not pay taxes on this under-the-table income, so I can save myself quite a bit." The decision to select an option that one clearly knows is wrong reflects not on one's ability to make decisions, but on one's lack of ethical clarity and moral courage.