Ethic is defined as a system of moral values or a set of principles of right conduct. Every society, including institutions and professions, has its ethics. Besides, individuals set rules that govern their own behavior. In every society, dishonorable behavior is unaccepted. Whether you are the one behaving dishonorably, or the one facilitating the behavior, both are culprits. In “The Shadow Scholar,” a good number of individuals have behaved dishonorably. The clients, Ed Dante, and the company Ed works for, have all engaged in unethical activities.
In academic institutions, it is unethical for students to cheat, whether in their assignments or in examinations. Whether the student cheats by himself or involves a third party to facilitate his cheating, the behavior is unethical. It’s however more unethical to involve a third party. Based on the given article, it is the students (clients) who are considered to have behaved in the most unethical manner.
First, the clients have lied to themselves and betrayed their own moral principles. However, this depends on one’s definition of morals. As stated earlier, ethics is a set of principles of right conduct. Therefore, they are not rules others set for use; we set them ourselves, except the professional ethics. So, if a student sets his ethical bar low enough to include cheating, then to him, cheating is ethical. However, the ethical bar is preset in academic institutions and bending below the bar is unethical. Therefore, without any reasonable doubt, the clients are unethical whether their conscience allows for cheating or not. How does one really feel when he presents other persons work, claiming that he actually did it, knowing perfectly well that he cannot produce such a work? Why deceive yourself?
Secondly, the students have lied to their professors, and this constitutes unethical behavior. When given an assignment to carry out, the professor is not interested on whether you can get the answer, but whether you understood the concept. When the assignment is handled perfectly, the professor is made to believe that the students understood his teachings and are able to follow his instructions. Everybody is happy when their work bears fruits, and so is the professor. The student deceives the professor, who is made to believe that their work bore fruits. Failing to detect the cheating should not be blamed on the teachers. Thirdly, the student has involved third parties to accomplish his immoral act. In so doing, the student makes the company and the writer to bend below their ethical bar in the name of earning a leaving.
I agree with the saying “desperate times call for desperate measures.” However, how desperate is a “desperate measure”? Should it include going against the ethical principles, including your own? If so, then the students’ acts should be blamed on the education system. It is the system that has put pressure on the grade rather than the genuine demand for learning and understanding. Again, it is the economic pressure and the struggle for survival that has driven both the company and the writers to engage in unethical activities.
Be that as it may, both the company and the writer are unethical in equal measure. Both have compromised their morals for money. Whatever the understanding, a writer who is paid to take an exam or complete an assignment for a student, is more or less similar to the one paid in exchange for sex. Both have compromised their morality with money. Without the writers and the companies, it would be difficult for students to engage in such acts. Like anyone else, success is the desire of every student. It is the dream of every student to get good grades, no matter the cost. Students who are poor academically and cannot work hard to obtain the good grades would always find means of getting the grades. Even those who are capable would always believe in the services of experts like Ed Dante. Availability of such services temp the students to hire them. So, it is the writing companies and the writers who encourage cheating among students. By assisting incapable students to pass their exams, the entire society stands to lose. Such students become “professionals” whose services are doubted.
The ethical questions raised by the author of “The Shadow Scholar” can be looked at based on principles (Deontology theory) and consequences (Consequentialism theory). According to deontological ethics, an action is right when it is in accordance with the moral principles or rules (Brown 2001; Rainbow 2002). According to consequalism, an action is right if it promotes the best consequences (Brown 2001; Rainbow 2002). The clients (students) are thus victims of both deontology and consequalism. The action of the students is against the rules of the academic institutions. Even though some students may believe in cheating, this is against the popular belief, thus unethical. Similar, the consequences of the students’ actions make it immoral. The students have deceived their professors, their institutions, and the entire society.
Works Cited
Brown, Curtis. “Ethical Theories Compared.” Trinity University, 2001. Web. October 25, 2012. http://www.trinity.edu/cbrown/intro/ethical_theories.html
Dante, Ed. “The Shadow Scholar.” The Chronicle Review, 2010. Web. October 25, 2012. http://chronicle.com/article/The-Shadow-Scholar/125329/
Rainbow, Catherine. “Descriptions of Ethical Theories and Principles.” Davidson College, 2002. Web. October 25, 2012. http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/Indep/carainbow/Theories.htm
