Essay - Short Essay Consequentialist Ethicist Takes on an Honor Code Consequentialist...

Short Essay

Consequentialist Ethicist takes on an Honor Code

***** ethics views ethical decisions in terms of their consequences, not in terms of an abstract moral system that is universally applied to all circumstances. In this situation, regarding the dangers of academic cheating on computers, the risks of allowing such cheating ***** occur again in ***** college community must hold sway above unjustly accusing innocent pers*****s and also the need to severely punish the guilty. In the scenario, two students turned in identical answers to the same exam. But there was a strong ch*****nce ***** one student had hacked *****to the account of the other student. The question is: which ***** is to blame? Student A is being punished while Student B is set free, but it is equally plausible, from the facts stated that Student B could be ***** hacker, not Student *****.

A strict Kantian moral*****t might say that the overlap between ***** two es*****s indicates that some wrongdoing is in evidence, but since it can***** be proven which student ***** the transgressor, both students should be ***** free. However, a consequential ethicist would look upon the consequences of ***** an action ***** the wider college ***** and note that this ***** essentially encourage other students to use computer technology as an excuse for cheating, even the obvious cheating of the scenario. Some ***** must be suffered because of the unjust ********** of one student.

The *****ist would suggest that both ***** should be punished, not through expulsion but by *****ing ********** to take a new exam under highly controlled *****. The frustration of having to ***** a new exam ***** act as a deterrent ***** future computer che*****ters. However, the f***** that both students would be allowed to prove ***** competency, *****d to ***** degree ***** their innocence ***** succeeding at the exam, ***** ***** show mercy and some justice ***** the students. For the wider college community it would also have a positive consequential action by showing that cheating via computer was a serious *****fense with consequences.

***** ***** counter-argument is that this goes against the idea so fundamental to the American ethos ***** the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and it is better to let two guilty people go free than to pun*****h ***** innocent individual. While this may be true of ***** capital crimes, a college Honor Board has a responsibility not to simply up***** the rights ***** the individual but ***** ***** the ***** to create a livable and ********** ***** community. A community where cheating is tolerated is not academically healthy, and if ***** feel that others can get away ***** cheating, they will ***** less morally rigorous in ***** of ***** own academic honesty.

Furthermore, cheating ***** computer ***** gotten easier and easier, ***** until better controls can be instated, and hacker-pro***** technology has essentially caught up with the cleverness of dishonest students, ********** non-technical controls and sanctions must take their place, lest the consequences be too great. Thus, both