SOMETIMES SILENCE IS GOLDEN: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON MORAL

DILEMMAS

A Critical Analysis on Ethics

Presented to
The Faculty of Social Science Department
College of Arts and Sciences
University of Southeastern Philippines
Bo. Obrero, Davao City

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the subject GE 114 (Ethics)

by

CHARLES DAVID L. PALER

Submitted to:

Francis Reginio

May 2019
 Introduction

Background of the study

Tom was working with supervision provided by a graduate student Mr. Li on a proprietary summer
research project in Professor Zhou's lab which enjoyed private financial support. The project which was
nearing completion was an exciting one on a currently hot topic in nanoscience and the results were so
exciting that the university and the company had jointly filed for an international patent. As the project
involved significant intellectual property everyone working on the project including Tom had been required
to sign a confidentiality agreement at the outset. One day Tom overheard Mr. Li discussing the research
project with a friend who is a graduate student from another research group in the department at the
university. This case will be then analyzed if the certain actions can be determined as a violation and shows
ethical concerns to the members, the company, and to the university.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to able to critically evaluate the person’s ability to pinpoint moral
dilemmas and to be able to generate questions to be able to give ethical reasons to understand the cases
given.

Scope and Limitation

The study was conducted in the University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero, Davao city and will
be passed in May 26, 2019
 CHAPTER II

BODY OF THE STUDY

In this case, the project was done in Professor Zhou's lab which enjoyed private financial support.
Since as the project involved significant intellectual property everyone working on the project required to
sign a confidentiality agreement then Tom overheard Mr. Li discussing the research project to the other
research group this implies that Mr. Li is violating the agreement even still it is his friend, the agreement is
legally binding contract which is law is applied in here the university can be sued in consequence to Mr. Li’s
action which is breaching of contract , Mr Li should’ve have showed respect and responsibility to his action
since the project is a team-based project People involved in this project will be affected of Mr Li’s action
since the Lab is privately funded and with this Mr. Li’s action may cause a cut of a financial support from
the funder and lead to shutting down of the project and credit will go to another research group since it is
already compromised, Mr. Li could lose all his achievements, The best course of action that Tom should
act to this is just to tell his advisor in private to prevent the spread of rumors and affect the morals of the
people involved in this project and cause problems and even if Tom will not tell about this it will be like the
honour of their project is like nothing.This action applied from the context of Kantian ethics and
Nicomachean ethics chapter 1-5 “The Will”, which is choosing goodwill of reporting its duty, purpose, and
mode of will.
 CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

To avoid this kind of conflict show responsibility and respect to work never commit to break the
agreed terms and have the integrity of your own with being having strong moral uprightness.
 ABSTRACT

The study was conducted in the University of Southeastern Philippines It addresses to one’s ethical
reasoning in facing a moral dilemma that would affect the one’s way of living and to become morally upright
to be able to identify what is good and bad, the study was undertaken through human action. The findings
of this case analysis are choosing goodwill to your moral duty and abide to agreements. The significance
of the study is to be responsible enough to have a good will to your duty and abide agreements to be able
to input an integrity to yourself and how will one become morally upright The Kantian ethics and in the
context of Nicomachean ethics chapter 1-5 “The will”, were applied in Toms action, in this case, The
researcher then conclude that all immoral action is irrational because they violate.
 Reference:

Aristotle, The Nichomachean Ethics of Aristotle, trans. F.H. Peters, M.A. 5th edition (London: Kegan Paul,
Trench, Truebner & Co., 1893). Retrieved 5/21/2019 from the World Wide
Web: https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/903

Sjöstedt-H, P. (2007) Kant – Deontology, philosopher.eu/texts/kants-ethics-summary, Retrieved from World

Wide Web: http://www.philosopher.eu/texts/kants-ethics-summary/