Applying Ethical Theories Amin Murder Trialâ€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Applying Ethical Theories Amin Murder Trial? Answer: Introduction Roy Abanales and GeecyRebucas were a couple originally from Philippines, who moved over to Australia, in search of better prospects and a better life. Roy worked as a call centre employee while Geecy studied cooking at a reputed restaurant. Things seemed to be settling down for the couple after their initial struggle, but Roys worst fears about Geecy turned out to be true as he learned she was in an affair with Amin Sthapit, a chef at the place where she studied. On a fateful day, as Roy returned to his flat in the midst of work, he found Geecy and Amin together and in a fit of rage, he picked up a knife and stabbed Sthapit repeatedly till he bled to death. The trial for this gruesome murder continues, as Roy turned himself to the Police later. This case is a prime example of how ethics in Information and Communication Technology was overlooked (Bynum and Simon, 2004). The murder was indirectly motivated by the use of Dr.Fone, an android application that was intended to recover lost data from smart phones. The same data retrieving capacity can pose serious threats to the privacy of a person, as it could be used to gather crucial information about any individual. The same case had also seen the use of another software that revealed the location of Geecy. An application called Find my Phone was used by Roy to locate Geecys mobile. Utilitarianism Utilitarianism, a concept brought about by philosophers in the 18th century tends to imply that an action is right only if it results in a positive vibe and happiness. The elation felt after an action is not limited just to the action doer, but also to the people affected by the action. Utilitarianism differs from other ethical theories by laying emphasis on the goodness or morality of an action independent of the motive of the performer (Calluzzo and Cante, 2004). Utilitarianism was developed as solution to a very basic question in ones morality, denoting what actions have to be done for the best possible outcomes (Shaw, 1999). In the given case, Roy, the accused, decides to probe into the secret life of his partner. But the actions he did for this, which was to retrieve the secret conversations from her phone was not for attaining happiness. The main intent was rather very spiteful and contradicts the morality codes of Utilitarianism at a very core level. While applying to the curr ent scenario, it could be seen that the series of incidents that happened were very wrong ethically and could have been avoided by adhering to a strict code of morality put forth by Utilitarianism. Deontology Deontology is an ethical theory that focuses on the integrity and righteousness of an action, by judging the goodness of the action itself, rather than considering the outcome of the action. The basic principle that Deontology conveys is that a particular situation is positive, and conclusive if the actions that led to the situation was acceptable (McNaughton and Rawling, 2007). As the principles of Deontology are closely tied to the morality of an action, rather than its consequence, it is considered that this ethical principal promotes a commitment to ones duty more than anything else. Thus it makes an individual strongly committed to his responsibilities and his actions thereof, irrespective of the morality of its consequences (DeCew, 1997). The actions of Roy that is analyzed in terms of Deontology reinstates that the morality of his actions, which was to breach into his partners privacy and retrieve her secret conversations from her phone was seriously questionable. Virtue Virtue literally denotes the good qualities that an individual possess. Being virtuous implies the compliance of an individual to different moral and ethical principles. This ethical principal takes into consideration the character of an individual to a great extent and deems that all his subsequent actions would depend upon all the virtuous quality he possesses (Annas, 2009). Unlike the other ethical principles, which give more emphasis on the actions of the individual or the consequence of those actions, Virtue ignores these aspects and gives more prominence to the personality and disposition of the individual. For analyzing the given case on the basis of Virtue, the character of Roy and Geecy are more deeply investigated. It could be clearly understood that Geecys actions were unethical and dishonest in many situations. Especially while in a relationship with Roy, her decision to have an affair with Amit was not acceptable by any means. While delving deeper into Roys character, it could be seen that he was fairly virtuous in his character till he became aware of Geecys secret affair. He had lost his virtuous qualities since then and all his actions that followed since then breaks all the doctrines put forth by Virtue. Social Contract The Social Contract Theory emphasizes an entirely different aspect from what had been discussed so far. Proposed by John Locke, Jacques Rousseauand Hobbes, this theory proposes that the ethical responsibilities of an individual should be strongly based upon an unwritten understanding among the people which comprise a society. It discusses on the different responsibilities and code of conduct that an individual has to follow if he belongs to a group of people comprising of many individuals (Silvers and Francis, 2005). Simply stated, a social contract ensures that the most important factor in judging the morality of an individual should be regulated by the norms of the society. It had its origins when rulers had to emphasize the power of a governing body over the rights and actions of an individual. Social Contract discusses the importance of the overall well being of the society and intends an individual to streamline his actions conforming to the regulations set forth by the society (McCarthy et. al, 2005). The Social Contract in modern days could be associated to the laws set forth by the government. A failure to conform to these laws could have serious consequences. As in the case of Amit Sthapits murder, the offences committed by Roy strongly conflicts the Social Contract theory when he decides to investigate his partners alleged affair by probing into her privacy. Further, all levels of ethicality were broken when Roy decides to stab Amit to his death which was unacceptable by all means. Conclusion It could be seen that the whole crime revolved around the breach of a number of ethical principles. Especially, the breach of the right to privacy of an individual was one of the prime reasons for the series of events that took place (Culnan and Armstrong, 1999). If Roy had taken any initiatives to discuss the issues with his partner or adhered to any of the ethical principles that had been discussed above, the crime could have been avoided altogether. A more regulated use of technology, that ensures the data retrieving capacity of the mobile app could be used exclusively by the owner of the phone, and no one else, would have reverted the incident altogether. This again points out to the importance of maintaining strict ethical standards by individuals, when they decide to use new technological innovations. It is clear that the code of ethicality was ignored at various instances in the series of events that led to the murder of Amit Sthapit. All the individuals involved in the case, including Roy, Geecy and Amit had deliberately ignored or failed to conform to at least one of the four ethical principles which led to the disastrous turn of events. References Annas, J. (2009). Virtue ethics. InThe Oxford handbook of ethical theory. 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