When reading Santa Clara’s, “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making,” it reminded me of when I attended the Shelton Leadership Challenge the summer before my senior year. My team in this camp were faced with many challenges where we had to try new techniques to find a solution to a problem. We would use the utilitarian lens of ethical frameworks to make the best decision for everyone in the group, so that we could work as a team more efficiently. This is similar to the reading for it discusses the many different lenses we may use as tools to make ethical decisions.

This reading reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In the book series, a young boy named Edmund was faced with many difficult situations with ethical concerns. He chose to save himself and betray his brother and sisters because he was scared to do the right thing. This reminded me of many of the ethical lenses in “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making,” such as the justice lens, the common good lens, and the virtue lens, “These virtues are dispositions and habits that enable us to act according to the highest potential of our character and on behalf of values like truth and beauty” ( “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making,” pg. 2). Edmund should have thought about his family over himself to ensure the common good of his family, justice, and integrity.

In the real world, this reading made me think of the new technology AI and the surrounding ethical concerns of privacy, employees, and fairness. Using the common good lens, one must decide whether AI is better for society as a learning and living tool, or if it will potentially harm society. It is also important to weigh the benefits and harms to see if AI is a successful ethical tool.