Answer: In order to answer this, we must first add the options. They are as follows:
A. Am I acting fairly?
B. Is it balanced?
C. How will it make me feel about myself?
D. Will it help me further my career?
E. Is it legal?
The correct option is D. Will it help me further my career. This is a question that should NOT be asked when facing an ethical dilemma.
Explanation:
Ethics are moral principal that guide one's actions and attitudes. Now, all the options above can be properly weighed using ethical standards.
An Ethical dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between two options, neither of which will resolve the situation in an ethically acceptable manner.
We will analyze the options one after the other.
Let us start with option A. Am I acting fairly?
When faced with an ethical dilemma, one good question to ask is if an individual is acting fairly, that is, are they acting according to accepted ethical standards? If one's actions go contrary to ethics, then they should probably not undertake such an action. Therefore, this question SHOULD BE ASKED.
Option B. Is it balanced?
Balance here talks about equality. In this case this question looks at whether the action will favour one party over another, or if it will favour everyone equally. Therefore, this question SHOULD BE ASKED.
Option C. How will it make me feel about myself?
This question looks at the after effect of an action, if the action will make you feel good or bad about yourself later on. If the action will make you feel good, then it should be undertaken, but if it will make you feel bad, it should not be undertaken. Therefore, this question SHOULD BE ASKED.
Option D. Will it help me further my career? (Correct option)
This is a wrong question to ask when experiencing an ethical dilemma because it is not a question about ethics or morals, only career advancement, and it does not focus on the right or wrong of an action. Also, this is a selfish question to ask and it does not take into consideration the effect that the action will have on others. This question should therefore, NOT BE ASKED, because it is not a proper reflection of one's ethics.
Option E. Is it legal?
This question looks at the legality of an action, therefore illegal actions should not be undertaken, while legal actions should be pursued. This is a question that SHOULD BE ASKED.
