The Tracks

How you view the situation on the train says a lot about your personality toward ethics. There are different categories depending on your attitude to different situations.

It seems as those the West has gained their own reputation for ethics.

Cowboy Ethics is a book by James Owen that has been adopted by many businesses. It has even been made into a short Film, focusing on ethics in Wyoming. Below is a trailer for the video.

The Code of the West: Alive & Well in Wyoming - Trailer from Havey Productions on Vimeo.

Does this video portray Wyoming ethics?

Ethics have changed over time. Wyoming is not immune to those changes. Although Wyoming is fairly rural, when society changes, Wyoming changes too. I believe you still see a strong "Cowboy Ethic" in Wyoming, but that is not all you see. Everywhere you go there are going to be ethical and some not so ethical people.

To those who do not have first hand experience with Wyoming, this video depicts not only the stereotype of cowboys, but it also shows Wyoming in beautiful light. To outsiders, Wyoming seems to be the ethical kingdom untouched by the technological era. But Wyoming's population isn't just cowboys. It is said that some companies from the East coast find being from Wyoming a reason to higher an individual. It is as if being from Wyoming has given you a skill that puts you above your competition. Is this justified, or do videos and this idea of ethics in the West being superior give false hope?

It is important to remember that ethics have evolved, and that Wyoming may still hold more of those original core values. The West may have even had a much different view on ethics to begin, the cultural difference from the east coast to the west coast were and are vastly different. The east has always been more prone to cities than the west, and that could change the very basis for how ethics were first established. History may play a key role.

So many things to ponder. So don't forget to take a bite.

The Train

A train is rolling down the tracks. Up ahead the track divides into two different paths. One path leads to a dead end where the train and all the 50 passengers on it, will die. The other track leads to the death of your mother/sister/brother/father. Which path do you let the train travel? Does it matter if you know that those 50 individuals on the train are all on death row? What if among those 50 individuals was the President of the United States? What if they were just your average arrangement of citizens? At what point does it matter who those individuals are, or does it matter at all?

This is a question I would spend hours discussing in my business class in high school. I remember arguing that if the individuals were on death row anyway, that we might as well save my brother. My teacher argued, that the ethical decision would be to do what is best for the greater population, suggesting that saving 50 people no matter who they were would be better. The class didn't always agree, and that is when the debate started.

I am interested in what you have to say. What would you do with this train dilemma?

Thanks,

Rachel

And don't forget to take a bite.

Take A Bite?

Take A Bite is a blog that will spend a lot of time looking at ethics. Ethics play a huge role in the world we live in. A lot of the laws that are now in place stem from ethics. It was unethical for a human to kill another human. This was a universal thought, and thus became law. When enough support comes behind an ethical belief, or it is perceived that there is a need for all of humanity to follow an ethical idea, it becomes law. Society plays a huge role in the difference between unethical and illegal. The best examples of this process can be found in business. Many things that were unethical to do a few years ago, have become illegal. This blog will discuss different ethical situations, laws, and society. I urge you to take a bite of what I say and share your thoughts on the ethical dilemmas and other situations that are brought up.

Don't forget to take a bite.

Rachel