Discussing ethical dilemmas especially regarding dynamics in the work force was incredibly interesting for me to do. As a college student, I haven’t experienced what full-time workplace dynamics are like. I’ve experienced them in my part-time jobs, but I’ve never had to consider the effects my decisions may have on others. I think this is one aspect that college never teaches you. Although in group projects you might experience working with others, I don’t think it compares to the complexity in the workplace. I’ve heard from my older cousins that you should never treat your coworkers as anything more than your coworkers. I think I’ve realized through that conversation how much college relationships and work relationships differ. Although everyone hopes for a workplace where everyone can work together perfectly, it’s not always possible. I wonder if there is a way for colleges to better prepare college students for these kinds of dilemmas before we enter the workforce. I think they could potentially have a very positive impact on our work lives going forward.

In this week’s seminar, we discussed many different kinds of ethical dilemmas, and this discussion helped give me a new perspective on how different people think about the world, as well as how certain people think about situations differently depending on the context of the situation and the background of the person. For example, a dilemma that was raised during the discussion was “If you find $20 on the bus, would you take it or ask around for the owner?” While some people said they would take it and some people said they would ask around, there was another option that I did not really expect: they would just ignore it and let someone else handle it. This made me realize that not all ethical dilemmas are black and white, and that some had many options to choose from. In the case of the third option, the person being asked this question is conveniently avoiding it by passing the dilemma onto someone else entirely without actually saying it, which is something I had never thought of. This third option could have also arisen from the fact that some people have social anxiety, and would much rather just not talk to anyone than receive or give $20, so the answer to the dilemma depends on the background of the person. It also depends on the context, because if the amount of money found had been something like $500, the answer would definitely have been different with the consequences of both decisions becoming more severe. Another question I liked was “if your dentist is fully booked, do you get an appointment with someone else?” This one also depends on the context, because if you’ve only met this dentist once, changing dentists wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but if you’ve been visiting this dentist for decades, then some might consider changing to be rude, while others might think that the dedication would nullify the effects of rudeness that might come from temporarily changing dentists.

Attending the Ethical Dilemmas seminar was a fun, interactive experience. As we spent time discussing what we would do in certain situations, I was able to reflect on some of my own morals and values and how they differ from others. It even allowed me to realize the bias that I hold against those who don’t agree with answers. Specifically, I found that often I assume the reasoning for why someone might answer a certain way but being able to hear why someone thinks that certain way broadened my perspective. It was also interesting to see what people rationalized as acceptable and within what parameters do they set limits for themselves. I often do that as well and it was fun to hear others’ rationale.