Personal Ethical Theory

My personal ethical theory is founded on virtue ethics. I am a believer in virtues and
moral character. I also believe that every human being has certain moral rules that should guide
their behavior. Morality should not be based on the outcomes like utilitarianism, but rather
morality should be based on certain inherent duties and rules that human beings have. I believe
that one should do unto others what they would have them do unto them. In evaluating actions, I
analyze what I would want others to do if I was on the receiving end. I am a believer in being
charitable as well as honesty (Tsoukas, 2018). Virtues should be used in safeguarding the
relationship between human beings.
In analyzing John Doe’s case, every human being has certain duties that bind them. The
virtues of honesty and integrity are among the most important virtues that should guide human
actions. Regardless of the outcome, every person should be honest and work towards being a
person of integrity. John Doe is engaging in dishonesty by illegally downloading copyrighted
materials. The action amounts to digital piracy and is against virtue-based ethics. In addition, it
takes a lot of time and resources to publish a book. As a result, if John Doe was to publish a
book, he would expect his efforts to be rewarded. He is, therefore, not doing what he would have
another person do unto him. Legal actions can be taken against John Doe, and this puts him at
great risk of compounding the problems that he may have. The action is equivalent to stealing,
which is unethical.
The veil of ignorance denies decision makers information on who could potentially
benefit from an action. In making decisions, decision-makers act without knowing who will
incur the costs or who will stand to gain from different decisions (Huang, Greene, & Bazerman,
2019). The veil of ignorance allows one to test actions and decisions for fairness. Application of
the veil of ignorance means that John Doe would make the decision on whether or not one

should access copyrighted materials illegally without knowing who stands to benefit or lose. In
such a situation, the decision would remain the same. Copyrighted materials should not be
accessed illegally owing to the problems of such actions.
References

Tsoukas, H. (2018). Strategy and virtue: Developing strategy-as-practice through virtue
ethics. Strategic Organization, 16(3), 323-351.
Huang, K., Greene, J. D., & Bazerman, M. (2019). Veil-of-ignorance reasoning favors the
greater good. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 116(48), 23989-23995.