How do YOU decide what's right? 2.0

Image Source

Quiz Questions

1.
1. Which one of the following statements BEST represents your beliefs? (Pick 1)
- A.
  A. When trying to decide what is right, I focus on weighing out the possible results of the various alternatives for all who might be affected.
- B.
  B. When trying to decide what is right, I focus on following consistent principles that guide me across situations.
- C.
  C. When trying to decide what is right, I focus on consulting with others who can help me consider different beneficial perspectives.
- D.
  D. When trying to decide what is right, I focus on how it will affect me.
- E.
  E. When trying to decide what is right, I focus on treating others as I/they would want to be treated.
- F.
  F. When trying to decide what is right, I focus on what type of person I should be.
2.
2. Which one of the following statements BEST represents your beliefs? (Pick 1)
- A.
  A. What is right is to behave towards others in ways that we would like them to behave towards us.
- B.
  B. What is right is doing what I want regardless of what others may want.
- C.
  C. What is right is focusing on the good personal characteristics that should guide each of us.
- D.
  D. What is right is whatever is best for the largest number of individuals affected.
- E.
  E. What is right is respecting everyone’s rights.
- F.
  F. What is right is to gather other reasonable viewpoints so we can avoid our harmful biases.
3.
3. Which one of the following statements BEST represents your beliefs? (Pick 1)
- A.
  A. In this competitive world we just need to look out for ourselves.
- B.
  B. As long as someone is gathering a variety of reasonable opinions before making a decision they will make a more informed decision.
- C.
  C. We should each care about others as if they are ourselves.
- D.
  D. As long as someone is living in line with good values (e.g. compassion, responsibility, etc.) they are living well.
- E.
  E. If someone tries to do the right thing but it causes more harm than good, they still deserve moral credit for trying.
- F.
  F. Someone can try to do the right thing, but if it causes more harm than good, their intent does not really matter.
4.
4. Which one of the following statements BEST represents your beliefs? (Pick 1)
- A.
  A. We should not be unfair, dishonest or unkind.
- B.
  B. We should not do something that will cause more negative results than positive ones.
- C.
  C. We should not use others to accomplish our goals, no matter how positive our goals are.
- D.
  D. We should not just rely on our own thoughts and feelings about what we should do.
- E.
  E. We should not be concerned about others, but should just watch out for ourselves.
- F.
  F. We should not treat others in ways that we would not like to be treated.
5.
5. You observe someone being bullied. Which one of the following statements BEST represents your beliefs? (Pick 1)
- A.
  A. I should do what all people should do in this situation, and stand up for someone’s rights.
- B.
  B. I should be a compassionate, fair, respectful and responsible person.
- C.
  C. I should do what will create the best results, and the least harm, in this situation.
- D.
  D. I should do what I would want someone to do for me if the roles were reversed.
- E.
  E. I should do my best to consider what else might be going on here and check my biases.
- F.
  F. I should do what will help me the most.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Otter's Character
Image Source
This quiz was designed to help you better understand your main focus when deciding "What's the right thing to do?" in life, and leadership. It is not a personality assessment, but it can help you better understand yourself and others. We each often use a combination of multiple perspectives, however most of us lean towards a certain focus area. Your answers indicate that you focus on OTTER's CHARACTER (represented by Olly the Otter). When deciding what's right you tend to focus on character traits and the type of person that you think you should be (e.g. compassionate, fair/just, honest, respectful, responsible, etc.).Focus Color/Animal: GREEN OtterWhy read the information below?1. Have a tough decision to make? Explore the strengths and challenges of your main decision-making focus.2. Discover the benefits of uniting different focus areas (colors/animals).3. Practically apply these resources to make better decisions. For example: use the FREE Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card), request a workshop (email: nlennon@gmu.edu), etc.Why an Otter?Otters are known for being intelligent, sociable, adaptable and curious. You are curious about the various personal characteristics that make someone a good person. You are adaptable as you seek to exemplify these traits. You are more interested in living in line with personal values than in set rules or calculating the results of specific actions. You care deeply about which personal characteristics you exhibit in order to be the type of person that you think you should be. Why the color Green?Green is one of the 3 primary colors of light, just as the Character focus is typically seen as one of the 3 primary ethical focus areas of Moral Philosophy. Imagine that we have three flashlights that we shine in a dark room. Each one shines a different primary color of light (green, red and blue). If we overlap these three primary colors of light we get white light, which is the full spectrum of visible light. Using visible light as a metaphor, we can combine the three primary ethical focus areas (Green for “Character“, Red for “Code“, Blue for “Consequences“) in much the same way that we combine visible light. By combining the three primary ethical focus areas (i.e. three primary colors) we can benefit from the strengths of different focus areas while balancing out the weaknesses of any single focus area.Main Consideration: When deciding what's right you tend to focus on some universal CHARACTER traits (e.g. compassion, fairness, honesty) that make someone a good person.Question:One of the main questions that drives you is: "What kind of person should I be?", as opposed to only focusing on what actions you take. You care deeply about which personal qualities and characteristics you exhibit in order to be the type of person you think you should be.Strengths of the Character focus: 1. MOTIVATION (CHARACTER MATTERS): Imagine that your friend gets sick and has to go to the hospital. You are able to safely go to visit them. They are so happy to see you and they ask "Why did you come to see me?" You have strong feelings for this friend, and a real sense of compassion for them, so you say: “You are my friend and I really like and care about you, of course I want to visit when you're sick". This seems very different than what motivated two of their other friends to visit. Their friend Hadley felt it was their duty to visit because they believe that they should do what they would want made into a principle for all to follow (e.g. visit friends who are suffering) (Hawk's CODE). Their friend Whitley calculated the greatest good that they could do that day and they decided that visiting this friend would bring the best results and the least harm to others (Wolf's CONSEQUENCES). Hadley's and Whitley's motivation both seem to be somewhat different than yours. The motivation behind the Character focus seems to include more of an emotional connection: friendship, love, compassion. Hadley and Whitley's reasons and motivation seem a bit more calculated. Your focus on the character traits that make someone a good person (e.g. compassion, respect) and the personal qualities to strive for, can be a powerful strength. Many would argue that it's very important to consider character traits and the type of motivation that they bring, not just the consequences of our actions or consistent codes/rules to follow.2. RELATIONSHIPS: Imagine that you're at an anti-racism demonstration one day and you see three people being attacked. To the right, your good friend is being attacked. To the left, two people that you don't know are being attacked. You need to act quickly, you only have time to go in one direction, and you don't have time to get additional help. Which way would you go? Would you decide to help your friend even though you would be helping (and potentially saving) just one person, instead of two? Because of your focus on character traits (e.g. being a responsible friend) you may decide that your personal relationship to your friend is a very important factor to consider. Those with a different main focus (e.g. Hawk's Code, Wolf's Consequences) often argue that we should be impartial and that it would be right to help more people instead of less. The Character focus accounts for the idea that it may be more right to be partial towards those we have a relationship with, like family and friends (e.g. protecting your own child). Other focuses have a harder time taking personal relationships into account. Being adaptable and taking into account personal relationships, and situational differences, when deciding what traits to exhibit, can be very important. (Note: other focus areas may see these as challenges, not strengths).Challenges of the Character focus:1. WHICH TRAITS? Is it important to be courageous and loyal? Courage and loyalty may not always be ideal character traits. One could argue that the 9/11 terrorists showed courage by risking their lives for what they believed in, but courage for what ultimate purpose? One could argue that someone consistently acting in line with the beliefs of their preferred political party is being loyal, but blind loyalty can lead to some terrible decisions. A focus on character traits doesn't necessarily help to clarify which character traits are actually the most important. To determine which traits are the most important, it may help to take other focus areas into account. For example, considering what the ultimate consequences of that trait might be in different circumstances (e.g. Wolf's Consequences Focus).2. WHAT ACTION? Let's say that you highly value at least two character traits: honesty and compassion. What happens when these two important character traits conflict? Imagine that your friend gets an expensive haircut for a job interview, or a big date, and they seem to really like the haircut. You think it looks terrible, but they don't have time to change it before the interview/date. They directly ask you what you think. You wonder: “... should I be directly honest with my friend, or say something that’s not completely true to protect my friend's feelings and give them confidence?” Aren’t both honesty and compassion important? There are times when it is extremely difficult, or even impossible, to enact two conflicting character traits. Which should take precedence? You may say: "I would act based on how sensitive my friend is, considering the likely result of being fully honesty about how bad I think their haircut is", but that would be incorporating a different focus (e.g. Wolf's Consequences). A character focus doesn't help us clarify what to do when two important traits conflict, it just focuses on the importance of character traits, not how to decide between them. In these situations, it can help to see things from a different focus (e.g. Hawk's Code Focus, Wolf's Consequences Focus). Theoretical Background: Virtue Ethics (based on the wisdom of philosophers such as Aristotle, Elizabeth Anscombe and others).Conclusion... and what do I do now? Olly the Otter represents a very important and respected focus area (CHARACTER). However, it does not include everything. To balance out its challenges, Otter's CHARACTER should be combined with other focus areas, like Hawk's CODE and Wolf's CONSEQUENCES. Combining focus areas is called PLURALISM and can be very beneficial. Click on the "More Info" link below to learn more about Pluralism and about the other Animals, which represent different focus areas.Next Steps:1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal/color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if someone only focuses on the Golden Rule: "How can I treat others how I/they would like to be treated?" (Bear’s Care focus) they may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because they would not want to be held accountable if they were in the other person's situation, leading to a lack of fairness/justice.2. Pick at least one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you to better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies. It can also help you to see the benefits of uniting the focus areas, since the different focus areas can build off of one another's strengths and counteract one another's challenges. This is why we say "Unite to light the way."3. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually, and in groups). This card is practical, and action focused. Print it out or email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a card. Research shows that we all need reminders to make more ethical decisions. 4. Request a workshop. Email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a workshop to better understand these ideas and resources.
2.
Hawk's Code
Image Source
This quiz was designed to help you better understand your main focus when deciding "What's the right thing to do?" in life, and leadership. It is not a personality assessment, but it can help you better understand yourself and others. We each often use a combination of multiple perspectives, however most of us lean towards a certain focus area. Your answers indicate that you focus on HAWK's CODE (represented by Hadley the Hawk). When deciding what's right you tend to focus on the question "What would happen if everyone did this?" You follow the principles that you would want everyone else to follow (Hawk's Code).Focus Color/Animal: RED HawkWhy read the information below?1. Have a tough decision to make? Explore the strengths and challenges of your main decision-making focus.2. Discover the benefits of uniting different focus areas (colors/animals).3. Practically apply these resources to make better decisions. For example: use the FREE Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card), request a workshop (email: nlennon@gmu.edu), etc.Why a Hawk?Hawks are known for their focus, and for avoiding distractions. You focus on the consistent principles that should guide our actions, as well as protecting people's rights.Why the color Red?Red is one of the 3 primary colors of light, just as the Code focus is typically seen as one of the 3 primary ethical focus areas of Moral Philosophy. Imagine that we have three flashlights that we shine in a dark room. Each one shines a different primary color of light (green, red and blue). If we overlap these three primary colors of light we get white light, which is the full spectrum of visible light. Using visible light as a metaphor, we can combine the three primary ethical focus areas (Green for “Character“, Red for “Code“, Blue for “Consequences“) in much the same way that we combine visible light. By combining the three primary ethical focus areas (i.e. three primary colors) we can benefit from the strengths of different focus areas while balancing out the weaknesses of any single focus area.Main Consideration:When deciding what's right you tend to believe that it's best to stick to consistent principles or CODEs that should apply across situations, as opposed to focusing on personal characteristics or calculating the results of specific actions.Questions:Like Hadley, you may ask yourself: "Would I want this action made into a rule/code for everyone to follow?" and "Am I respecting others rights and not just using them?" You believe in the importance of following reasonable and consistent rules/codes and protecting other's rights, especially individuals or small groups who might be left out by others.Strengths of the Code focus:1. INTENT MATTERS. Imagine that, through no fault of you own, you contract a deadly virus. You do not feel sick and you show no symptoms. You take the proper precautions, even though you don't even know that you have the virus. You unintentionally spread the virus to 5 people, who end up infecting many others. This ultimately results in people dying. If you hadn't contracted the virus, and unintentionally spread it to others, those people would still be alive. So, the consequences of the fact that you unintentionally spread the virus are terrible, but you had no idea and you were being safe and acting responsibly. Now imagine a 2nd person who purposefully tries to spread the virus to a few people that they don’t like, but it doesn’t work and no one dies. Whose actions were more unethical? According to the Hawk's Code focus, the intent behind the action is very important to consider, regardless of the consequences. Here are 2 other examples: In sports (e.g. soccer, basketball) we distinguish between a foul committed by mistake and an “intentional foul”; Involuntary manslaughter (killing someone by mistake) is deemed less wrong than premeditated murder (killing someone on purpose). Some other focus areas (e.g. Wolf's Consequences) focus on result. A strength of the Code focus is that it helps us to consider the intent of our actions (e.g. "what are we trying to do?"), not just what happens as a result.2. PROTECTING RIGHTS. There is an attack in your community that many people believe was based on prejudice, and intolerance of difference. Many community members are extremely angry, and on the verge of rioting. No one knows who committed the attack and there is no good evidence. The situation is tearing your community apart. You are part of a council that is meeting to decide what to do. Some council members recommend finding a scapegoat (i.e. holding a random individual responsible) in order to prevent a riot where more people would surely get hurt. They argue that selecting one person to hold responsible would stop further violence. By taking a Code focus, you might say "We must not use someone, even if finding a scapegoat would prevent further violence." Proponents of the Code focus argue that one of it's strengths is that it can stop us from using a scapegoat (e.g. holding a random person responsible) just to end the conflict, even if a riot could be prevented and the overall consequences would be better (Note: other focus areas may see this as a challenge, not a strength). The Code focus helps us to consistently respect others’ rights (e.g. through consistent rules/codes for all) and not just use others. This helps to prevent rights violations of individuals or smaller groups (e.g. those in the minority).Challenges of the Code focus:1. CODE CONFLICT. Let's say that two of your most important rules/codes are: “Keep your promises” & “Help others when they need you.” Imagine that you promised to meet your friend Ali to help them prepare for a very important presentation that's occurring the next day. On your way there you find out that a different friend, Beck, was just in an extremely upsetting argument with their romantic partner. Beck's partner ended the conversation by breaking up with Beck. Beck says that they need your help right now- at the same time that you promised to help Ali with their important presentation. You feel that you can't help them both in time. What should you do? You may wonder: “Should I keep my promise to Ali, or help Beck?” There are times when it is extremely difficult, or even impossible, to enact two conflicting codes. Which one should take precedence? You may say: "I would act based on how upset and fragile I think Beck is..." or "I would figure out how crucial Ali's presentation is...", but those would both be incorporating a different focus (e.g. Wolf's Consequences). A Code focus doesn't help us clarify what to do when two important rules/codes conflict. In these situations, it can help to see things from a different focus (e.g. Wolf's Consequences Focus). 2. MORE THAN CODES. Imagine that you get really sick and have to go to the hospital. Your friend Hadley is able to safely visit you at the hospital. You are so happy to see Hadley and you ask "Why did you come to visit me?" Hadley strictly see things from a Code focus and says: "I asked myself 'Would safely visiting a friend in the hospital be something I'd want everyone to follow?' The answer was yes, so I determined that visiting you would be the right thing to do." This seems very different to you than what your friend Olly said when visiting: “I'm here because you are my friend and I really like and care about you, of course I want to visit when you're sick" (e.g. feelings of compassion). Hadley's motivation seems a bit more calculated than Olly's. Olly's motivation seems to include more of an emotional connection: friendship, love, compassion. It can be argued that living an ethical life involves more than codes/duty alone. It could help Hadley to focus on the type of person they want to be (Otter's Character), not just on the codes that everyone should logically follow.Theoretical Background: Deontological Ethics (based on the wisdom of philosopher Immanuel Kant and others).Conclusion... and what do I do now?Hadley the Hawk represents a very important and respected focus area (CODE). However, it does not include everything. To balance out the challenges above, Hawk's CODE should be combined with other focus areas, like Otter's CHARACTER and Wolf's CONSEQUENCES. Combining focus areas is called PLURALISM and can be very beneficial. Click on the "More Info" link below to learn more about Pluralism and about the other Animals, which represent different focus areas.Next Steps:1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal/color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if you only focus on the Golden Rule (Bear’s Care focus: yellow/gold), you may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because you would not want to be held accountable if you were in their situation.2. Pick at least one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies and help you see the benefits of uniting the focus areas (“Unite to light the way”) since they can counteract each other’s challenges.3. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually or in groups). Print it out or email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a card. Research shows that we all need reminders to make more ethical decisions. 4. Request a workshop. Email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a workshop to better understand these resources.
3.
Wolf's Consequences
Image Source
This quiz was designed to help you better understand your main focus when deciding "What's the right thing to do?" in life, and leadership. It is not a personality assessment, but it can help you better understand yourself and others. We each often use a combination of multiple perspectives, however most of us lean towards a certain focus area. Your answers indicate that you focus on Wolf's CONSEQUENCES (represented by Whitley the Wolf).Focus Color/Animal: BLUE WolfWhy read the information below?1. Have a tough decision to make? Explore the strengths and challenges of your main decision-making focus.2. Discover the benefits of uniting different focus areas (colors/animals).3. Practically apply these resources to make better decisions. For example: use the FREE Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card), request a workshop (email: nlennon@gmu.edu), etc.Why a Wolf?Wolves are known for their dedication to what's best for the larger group (or pack) as well as their adaptability to changing circumstances. You calculate how to adjust your actions in order to create the best results for the greatest number. You go even further than the average wolf in order to consider the impact on society as a whole, not just the impact on yourself or your pack/group.Why the color Blue?Blue is one of the 3 primary colors of light, just as the Consequences focus is typically seen as one of the 3 primary ethical focus areas of Moral Philosophy. Imagine that we have three flashlights that we shine in a dark room. Each one shines a different primary color of light (green, red and blue). If we overlap these three primary colors of light we get white light, which is the full spectrum of visible light. Using visible light as a metaphor, we can combine the three primary ethical focus areas (Green for “Character“, Red for “Code“, Blue for “Consequences“) in much the same way that we combine visible light. By combining the three primary ethical focus areas (i.e. three primary colors) we can benefit from the strengths of different focus areas while balancing out the weaknesses of any single focus area.Main Consideration:When deciding what's right you tend to focus on getting good results or CONSEQUENCES that benefit as many as possible, as opposed to focusing on personal characteristics or consistent principles (e.g. rules/codes) that should apply across situations. Question:Like Whitley, you may ask yourself: "What will bring the best results and least harm for the greatest number of those affected?" You believe in the importance of calculating the impact BEYOND yourself and your pack (or "in-group").Strengths of the Consequences focus: 1. CONSEQUENCES MATTER. Consider this story shared by a friend: “I was in Bolivia volunteering with an orphanage and became really close to a small boy named Miguel. We volunteered there for about 4 days and on the last day I went to leave. He attached himself to my leg and started bawling. I just remember feeling so awful and that what I was doing was really mean [even though my intent was good]. Here was this boy who had been abandoned by his family and then we volunteers come in for just a few days, pour out all this love and then leave them like so many others. It just contributes, in my opinion, to a feeling of being abandoned.” This example helps us to see that it is essential to consider the consequences of our actions, not just our intent to help. The Wolf's Consequences focus helps us to consider the overall impact of our actions on the greatest number, not just sticking to consistent codes of conduct, or just focusing on personal characteristics.2. IMPARTIALITY. Imagine that you have the opportunity to help choose someone for an important job at your organization. Your good friend really wants the job. This friend has been having a really difficult year and they are a very kind person. You really want to help them. However, you know that another person is more qualified and would do a better job, which would create better overall consequences for all. Your focus on the overall results/consequences leads you to advocate for the more qualified person, instead of your good friend. A strength of the consequences focus is that it can help us to consider the overall results (both short- and long-term) of our actions on the greatest number. This goes beyond just helping those with whom we have close relationships (Note: other focus areas may see this as a challenge, not a strength). Other decision-making approaches might lead us to only focus on being compassionate towards our friend, or treating our friend in the way that we/they would like to be treated in this situation (e.g. Bear's Care focus).Challenges of the Consequences focus:1. RIGHTS VIOLATIONS (or "tyranny of the majority"). Imagine that a medical research organization needs volunteers to be a part of a series of tests to help find a cure for a terrible virus. They need to act quickly, but they can't find enough volunteers because of the possible risks involved. The researchers begin to perform the tests on some orphans against the orphans' will because they say “it will only hurt this group of orphans, but it will save millions of other people... it's for the greater good.” Even if this could save many lives, isn’t this a violation of the rights of those individuals? If we only think "What will bring the best results and least harm for the greatest number of those affected?" we could violate the rights of individuals and smaller groups (e.g. those in the minority).2. MORE THAN CONSEQUENCES. Imagine that you get really sick and have to go to the hospital. Your friend Whitley is able to safely visit you at the hospital. You are so happy to see Whitley and you ask "Why did you come to visit me?" Whitley strictly sees things from a Consequences focus and says: "I asked myself 'What can I do today that will bring the best results and least harm for the greatest number of people?' and I determined that visiting you would be the right thing to do." This seems very different to you than what your friend Olly said when visiting: “I'm here because you are my friend and I really like and care about you, of course I want to visit when you're sick" (e.g. feelings of compassion). Whitley's motivation seems a bit more calculated than Olly's. Olly's motivation seems to include more of an emotional connection: friendship, love, compassion. It can be argued that living an ethical life involves more than consequences alone. It could help Whitley to focus on the type of person they want to be (Otter's Character), not just on the consequences that everyone should logically follow.3. SPECULATION. Imagine that you and your friends advocate for more parking lots where you work or study (e.g. on a college campus). You believe this will help everyone get to class, work, etc. faster. You are successful in convincing people to build more parking lots. However, you did not realize that parking fees would go up, there would be less space for classrooms and/or offices and less green space, resulting in worse overall consequences. Sometimes our speculation about future consequences can be very wrong. (Note: this is an implementation problem of the Consequences focus). In this situation it would likely help to consult with those with a different focus area (e.g. Otter's Character, Hawk's Code).Theoretical Background: Consequentialist Ethics (based on the wisdom of philosophers such as John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham).Conclusion... and what do I do now? Whitley the Wolf represents a very important and respected focus area (CONSEQUENCES). However, it does not include everything. To balance out the challenges above, Wolf's CONSEQUENCES should be combined with other focus areas, like Otter's CHARACTER and Hawk's CODE. Combining focus areas is called PLURALISM and can be very beneficial. Click on the "More Info" link below to learn more about Pluralism and about the other Animals, which represent different focus areas.Next Steps:1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal/color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if you only focus on the Golden Rule (Bear’s Care focus: yellow/gold), you may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because you would not want to be held accountable if you were in their situation.2. Pick at least one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies and help you see the benefits of uniting the focus areas (“Unite to light the way”) since they can counteract each other’s challenges.3. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually or in groups). Print it out or email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a card. Research shows that we all need reminders to make more ethical decisions. 4. Request a workshop. Email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a workshop to better understand these resources.
4.
Bear's Care
Image Source
This quiz was designed to help you better understand your main focus when deciding "What's the right thing to do?" in life, and leadership. It is not a personality assessment, but it can help you better understand yourself and others. We each often use a combination of multiple perspectives, however most of us lean towards a certain focus area. Your answers indicate that you focus on Bear's CARE (represented by Bailey the Bear). When deciding what's right you tend to focus on character traits and the type of person that you think you should be (e.g. compassionate, fair/just, honest, respectful, responsible, etc.).Focus Color/animal: YELLOW (GOLD) BearWhy read the information below?1. Have a tough decision to make? Explore the strengths and challenges of your main decision-making focus.2. Discover the benefits of uniting different focus areas (colors/animals).3. Practically apply these resources to make better decisions. For example: use the FREE Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card), request a workshop (email: nlennon@gmu.edu), etc.Why a Bear?Bears are known for being nurturing and protective. Consider the image of a mother bear taking care of its cub. You go further than the average bear, and care deeply about treating others well, not just your own family and friends.Why the color Yellow/Gold?There are 3 primary colors of light: green, red, and blue. Imagine that we have 2 flashlights that we shine in a dark room: one is green, and one is red. If we overlap green and red light, we get yellow light. The Care focus (Yellow) may be seen as a combination of aspects of the Character focus (Green) and the Code focus (Red), since it includes ideas about the type of people we are striving to be (e.g. caring/compassionate) and a rule/code that it would be beneficial for all to follow (e.g. “Treat others as you/they would like to be treated”). Gold represents the Golden Rule (and Platinum Rule), since that is the main focus of Bear's Care. Main Consideration: When deciding what's right you tend to focus on treating others as you/they would like to be treated. This involves putting yourself in other's shoes. An important aspect of this focus is caring for those beyond your own family and friends.Question: Like Bailey you may ask yourself: "How can I treat others as I/they would like to be treated?" You believe in the importance of trying to see things through someone else's viewpoint.Strengths of the Care Focus:1. EMPATHIC MOTIVATION. Imagine that a new person joins your group/organization and the other members do not make a real effort to invite them in and welcome them. You ask yourself “how can I treat them as I/they would like to be treated?” and you realize that you should reach out to them and look for other ways to include them. You are careful not to make assumptions about what they may want or need. Instead, you introduce yourself and ask them if they'd like to join you and you begin a conversation to see if you can be of assistance. A strength of the Care focus is that it can help us to see the importance of empathy and how others would want to be treated.2. SELF-RESTRAINT. Imagine that a friend makes up a lie about you in order to make themselves look better than you. For example, they tell others that you cheated (on a test, or on your partner) when you didn’t. You may feel that you really want to do the same to them to show them how it feels. However, because you focus on treating others as you/they would like to be treated, you reason that even though they lied about you, you would not want to be treated that way if you were them, so you do not retaliate. This does not mean that you are passive and do not say anything, or that you do not seek justice, but rather you show self-restraint and do not seek revenge. Revenge and justice can be very different. The Care focus can help us with self-restraint.Challenges of the Care focus: 1. SPECULATION. Sometimes, our speculation about how others want to be treated can be very wrong. Imagine that you need to give a friend or co-worker some important feedback. Some people want direct feedback without any sugarcoating and they get upset about wasted time. They say "Just tell me directly that I'm annoying you and let's move on. I can take it." Others prefer to be comforted and reassured with some positive feedback before any critiques. When a critique comes too quickly or directly, they say "You really hurt my feelings" and they may not even really hear or process the feedback because of how it was delivered. We may not be aware of, or even be able to find out, how others really want to be treated. This is especially true when decisions affect many others, including those we don’t know well and people from different backgrounds. A challenge of the Care focus is that it can be very difficult to really know how others want to be treated. To help in these situations, it can be essential to do our own research and to consult with those with a different main focus (e.g. Elephant's Consult Focus).2. JUSTICE DENIED. Imagine that your friend Bailey needs to decide what to do about a team member named Tev. Tev is consistently having a very negative influence on other co-workers by not fulfilling the responsibilities of their job. If Bailey strictly focuses on “how would I/Tev want to be treated?” Bailey may decide not to do anything about Tev's behavior since that's what Bailey would want if the roles were reversed (i.e., Bailey would prefer that no one approach them about their lack of follow through with their work). Bailey also thinks that Tev would prefer not to be approached about their lack of follow through with their work. Bailey is so strictly focused on treating others how they would like to be treated that Bailey neglects to hold others accountable for their harmful behavior. A similar example is a judge who lives by the Golden/Platinum rule and does not hold a truly corrupt criminal accountable. The judge knows that the criminal wants to go free, and the judge would want to go free if the roles were reversed. A singular focus on the Golden/Platinum rule can sometimes lead to a lack of fairness/justice. To help in these situations, it can be essential to incorporate a different focus (e.g. Wolf's Consequences Focus).Theoretical Background: Golden/Platinum Rule and Care-based Ethics (based on the wisdom of Carol Gilligan, Confucius and others).Conclusion... and what do I do now?Bailey the Bear represents a very important and respected focus area (CARE). However, it does not include everything. To balance out the challenges above, Bear's CARE should be combined with other focus areas, like Wolf's CONSEQUENCES and the Elephant CONSULTant. Combining focus areas is called PLURALISM and can be very beneficial. Click on the "More Info" link below to learn more about Pluralism and about the other Animals, which represent different focus areas.Next Steps:1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal/color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if someone only focuses on the Golden Rule: "How can I treat others how I/they would like to be treated?" (Bear’s Care focus) they may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because they would not want to be held accountable if they were in the other person's situation, leading to a lack of fairness/justice.2. Pick at least one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you to better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies. It can also help you to see the benefits of uniting the focus areas, since the different focus areas can build off of one another's strengths and counteract one another's challenges. This is why we say "Unite to light the way."3. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually, and in groups). This card is practical, and action focused. Print it out or email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a card. Research shows that we all need reminders to make more ethical decisions. 4. Request a workshop. Email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a workshop to better understand these ideas and resources.
5.
Elephant Consultant
Image Source
This quiz was designed to help you better understand your main focus when deciding "What's the right thing to do?" in life, and leadership. It is not a personality assessment, but it can help you better understand yourself and others. We each often use a combination of multiple perspectives, however most of us lean towards a certain focus area. Your answers indicate that you focus on the Elephant CONSULTant (represented by Elly the Elephant). When deciding what's right you tend to focus on getting different perspectives and overcoming harmful biases.Focus Color/Animal: GREY (SILVER) ElephantWhy read the information below?1. Have a tough decision to make? Explore the strengths and challenges of your main decision-making focus.2. Discover the benefits of uniting different focus areas (colors/animals).3. Practically apply these resources to make better decisions. For example: use the FREE Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card), request a workshop (email: nlennon@gmu.edu), etc.Why an Elephant?Elephants are known for being intelligent and having a great memory. They are also know to look out for one another. You value consulting with others to come to the best possible solution. The "elephant in the room" (i.e. obvious problem that we often do not want to talk about) is that we each need to consult with others in order to consider different perspectives and counteract our harmful biases.Why the color Grey/Silver?There are 3 primary colors of light: green, red, and blue. Imagine that we have 3 flashlights that we shine in a dark room: one is green, one is red, and one is blue. If we overlap low levels of green, red and blue light, we get dark grey light. If we overlap medium levels of green, red and blue light, we get medium grey light. The Consult focus (Grey/Silver) may be seen as a combination of aspects of the Character focus (Green Otter), Code focus (Red Hawk), and Consequences focus (Blue Wolf), since consulting with others can include ideas from all 3 primary focus areas. Furthermore, consulting with others can clarify or muddy various perspectives, and can either help us move towards the full spectrum of light or further away from it. Wise and trusted advisors can help us to see important subtleties that we may miss on our own. However, we may choose to consult with people who have harmful biases of their own, which can cloud our own judgement. Main Consideration:When deciding what's right you tend to focus on CONSULTing with others to get different perspectives, and to avoid harmful biases.Question: Like Elly you may ask yourself: "Who will help me consider different perspectives and avoid harmful biases?" You believe in recognizing and challenging your own biases.Strengths of the Consult focus:1. OTHER PERSPECTIVES. A friend tells you about the death of a close family member of theirs. You plan to go see your friend, but you’re not sure what to say. You decide to comfort your friend by saying “everything happens for a reason” & “they’re in a better place now.” However, after consulting with another friend, you are convinced that these statements can be hurtful to someone who is grieving (e.g., they may feel that you’re being dismissive and that the “better place” for their family member is to still be here with them). A strength of the CONSULT focus is that by consulting with others and/or doing our research, we can better understand other perspectives that can be very helpful.2. COUNTERACT BIASES. Imagine that you need to help select someone for a job in your organization. Your very good friend really wants the job, and you convince yourself that you can be an objective part of the selection process. You consult with another friend and realize that you were actually fooling yourself; your decision would have been biased. The friend that you are consulting with also helps you to uncover some unfair assumptions that you have made about one of the applicants based on their name and personal background. A strength of the Consult focus is that it reminds us to consult with others who are trustworthy so that we can become more aware of our own harmful biases (e.g. confirmation bias), and counteract our capacity for self-deception. By understanding that we are all biased in some way, and focusing on different viewpoints, we can see things from different angles and work to counteract our harmful biases.Challenges of the Consult focus: 1. OTHERS’ BIASES. Imagine that you are part of a group that must decide on how to distribute a limited amount of funding to various offices or organizations in a fair way. You decide to consult with a friend/mentor. You don't realize this friend/mentor has unfair beliefs about certain groups of people (e.g. people with disabilities, people with certain religious and/or political beliefs, etc.). We must be very careful about who we consult with, since others can have harmful biases as well. It can help if we consult with those who have consistently proven that they incorporate well-respected ethical principles that have stood the test of time (e.g. Otter's Character, Hawk's Code, Wolf's Consequences Focus, and Bear's Care).2. IMPLEMENTATION. Imagine that you have time to consult with three trusted friends/mentors about how to distribute funding for various organizations in a fair/just way. The 1st says “Split the funds equally across the 5 organizations”. The 2nd says “Give at least some funding to all 5 organizations, but more to organizations A and B, since they have had less support in the past." The 3rd says “Give more to those who have worked the hardest." How many perspectives should we consider and what happens when they conflict? There are no easy answers, but it can help if we consult with those who have consistently proven that they incorporate well-respected ethical principles that have stood the test of time (e.g. Otter's Character, Hawk's Code, Wolf's Consequences Focus, and Bear's Care).Theoretical Background: Psychology of Decision Making, Behavioral Economics and Behavioral Ethics (based on the wisdom of Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman and others).Conclusion... and what do I do now? Elly the Elephant represents a very important and respected focus area (CONSULT). However, it does not include everything. To balance out the challenges above, the Elephant CONSULTant focus should be combined with other focus areas, like Bear's CARE. Combining focus areas is called PLURALISM and can be very beneficial. Click on the "More Info" link below to learn more about Pluralism and about the other Animals, which represent different focus areas.Next Steps:1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal/color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if you only focus on the Golden Rule (Bear’s Care focus: yellow/gold), you may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because you would not want to be held accountable if you were in their situation.2. Pick at least one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies and help you see the benefits of uniting the focus areas (“Unite to light the way”) since they can counteract each other’s challenges.3. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually or in groups). Print it out or email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a card. Research shows that we all need reminders to make more ethical decisions. 4. Request a workshop. Email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a workshop to better understand these resources.
6.
Egoism's Mirror
Image Source
This quiz was designed to help you better understand your main focus when deciding "What's the right thing to do?" in life, and leadership. It is not a personality assessment, but it can help you better understand yourself and others. We each often use a combination of multiple perspectives, however most of us lean towards a certain focus area. Your answers indicate that you lean towards an EGOISM approach, represented by a mirror.Focus Color/Object: DARK BLUE MirrorWhy read the information below?1. Explore the strengths and challenges of your main decision-making focus.2. Have a tough decision to make? Discover the benefits of uniting different focus areas (colors/animals).3. Practically apply these resources to make better decisions. For example: use the FREE Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card), request a workshop (email: nlennon@gmu.edu), etc.Why a Mirror?A mirror represents a focus on the self. Those with a focus on egoism may ask themselves, represented by the mirror: "How will this benefit me?" Egoism can be seen as a type of Consequences focus (Blue Wolf) that strictly focuses on results for the self (e.g. someone who chooses to be a "lone wolf" in terms of their focus on themselves).Why Dark Blue?As mentioned above, Egoism can be seen as a type of Consequences focus, which is represented in Take5 by the color Blue (Blue Wolf). However, since Egoism is strictly focused on results for the self, the color is dark blue since it is further from the full spectrum of light.Main Consideration:When deciding what's right you tend to focus on how things will affect you (also known as EGOISM).Question: You may ask yourself, represented by the mirror: "How will this benefit me?" You believe in the importance of doing what you want, and what's best for you.Strength of the Egoism focus:1. STANDING UP FOR ONESELF. Life is not only about giving up what we want or need. We do have some responsibility to look out for ourselves and we each may know what will benefit us better than others do. We may need to stand up for ourselves, or even protect our own lives sometimes. However, there can be many cons if our own interests are ALL we consider.Challenges of the Egoism focus:1. WICKED ACTIONS ENDORSED. Imagine that your friend Seb is working with a pharmacist. Seb decides to secretly water down a life saving medication, and then sells it to the patients who need it. Seb keeps the extra medication just to make some additional money so they can go out for some fancy dinners. Seb never gets caught, but the patients are harmed. Ethical Egoism doesn’t condemn this as long as Seb benefits. Ethical Egoism seems to support doing some terrible things (e.g. cheating, stealing) as long as they benefit the self.2. ARBITRARY. Why am I more important than someone else? What is the morally relevant difference? Don’t we all have the capacity to experience happiness, as well as suffering? Ethical Egoism gives unwarranted preference to one's own interests at a possible cost to others, without a good and relevant reason. Consider racism, something that reasonable people consider unethical. Why should one racial group be seen as superior to another? In much the same way, why does one individual deserve preference over another? Imagine visiting an area where some children are suffering because they are extremely hungry. Should your hunger matter more than theirs? Does hunger affect them less than it does you? What’s the relevant difference between your hunger and their hunger?3. DOESN’T HANDLE CONFLICTS. Ethical Egoism does not provide solutions for conflicts between people. Imagine two people (Ali and Beck) who are running for president. Both really want to win. We could argue that it would be in Ali’s interest to sabotage Beck’s campaign (as long as Ali wouldn’t get caught). We could argue the same for Beck. It's also in each of their interests to prevent the other person from sabotaging their campaign. Ethical Egoism provides no way to resolve this conflict. If what’s right is to only look out for oneself, wouldn’t it be “right” for both of them to work to sabotage the other’s campaign and “right” for both of them to work to prevent the other person from sabotaging them? Note: This con assumes that we think it’s important for a theory to help us resolve conflicts.Theoretical Background: A much criticized philosophy called Ethical Egoism.Conclusion... and what do I do now?EGOISM is NOT a highly respect approach in Moral Philosophy. It can be seen as a type of CONSEQUENCES approach that only focuses on results for the self. It has some important lessons (see above), but to be ethical we should look beyond ourselves and consider well-respected ethical principles that have stood the test of time (e.g. Otter's Character, Hawk's Code, Wolf's Consequences Focus, and Bear's Care). Click on the link below for more information and to see the descriptions of the animals that represent the other focus areas.Next Steps:1. Remind yourself of the strengths and challenges of your main focus animal (or mirror) and color. This can help you anticipate benefits and identify potential problems down the road. For example, if someone only focuses on the Golden Rule: "How can I treat others how I/they would like to be treated?" (Bear’s Care focus: Yellow/Gold) they may not hold someone accountable for their behavior because they would not want to be held accountable if they were in the other person's situation, leading to a lack of fairness/justice.2. Pick at least one other focus area (another animal/color) to read more about (see take5.gmu.edu/animals/). This can help you to better understand the strengths and challenges of different decision-making strategies. It can also help you to see the benefits of uniting the focus areas, since the different focus areas can build off of one another's strengths and counteract one another's challenges. This is why we say "Unite to light the way."3. Use the Take5 card (take5.gmu.edu/ethics-card/) to help you make well-balanced decisions (individually, and in groups). This card is practical, and action focused. Print it out or email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a card. Research shows that we all need reminders to make more ethical decisions. 4. Request a workshop. Email nlennon@gmu.edu to request a workshop to better understand these ideas and resources.

How do YOU decide what's right? 2.0

Discover which animal/color best represents your FOCUS

Quiz Questions

Quiz Outcomes