In A Framework for Ethical Decision Making

The article reminded me of a group project I had last semester. There were multiple times where my team had conflicting opinions about what to prioritize when working on the presentation. Some wanted to focus on visuals and aesthetics while others wanted to ensure the slides hit all the criteria. I personally cared more about getting a good grade than having a presentation that looked good. The article described various lenses to make ethical decisions, the justice lens resonated with me. I realized that back then, I shouldn’t have prioritized what I thought important, but balanced the workload so each member was respected. It wasn’t about the decisions we made for the team, but it was about being fair and understanding. 

This also connects to To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson, a man that was falsely accused of a crime in a racist community. The story is centered around the justice lens from the framework, which stresses fair treatment and giving people what they deserve. Atticus follows this lens by choosing to stand for equality and ensure the truth gets out. He pushed past the cultural norms and fought against the law to do what’s right. Some situations have straightforward ethical choices, but the book shows how sometimes justice can mean standing against the public opinion. Ethics does not mean what is legal but about what is right.

This makes me also think about AI and personal privacy. Companies that develop AI face decisions that have to weigh the rights of the people against the potential benefits. Looking through the rights lens, reminds us that people have the right to choose for themselves and have privacy. AI can take this away from us and have a harmful effect on society as a whole.

University, Santa Clara. “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.