Looking at the history of ethics in Reader 5 and examining it within the context of my own professional sphere has made me consider far more the implications of following a code of conduct and the reasons behind establishing and maintaining the ethos of your workplace.
When I looked at the 'approaches to lying' Table 1 in reader 5 which illustrates the three different ethical approaches below I tried to think which of them I adopted in my work:
- Consequentialist:
could be acceptable for a greater good
- Deontologist:
- Virtue Ethicist:
moral behaviour & character as important as action
I also acknowledge however that a consequentialist approach could be considered dangerous in certain contexts- extremist religious views come to mind. A terrorist suicide bomber, for example, might believe that he is sacrificing his life, and that of others, for the greater good of his religious cause.
What is seen to be right by some will always be seen in a different light be others because we are all individual and are influenced by so many different factors such as our upbringing, our religious beliefs and the culture and society around us.The example in Reader 5 of the photographer not intervening to save the dying child illustrates this point. Some will believe that the photographer should definitely have tried to help the child get to the feeding centre, but others might argue that he was merely doing his job and obeying the rules, as he had been instructed not to touch the girl for fear of transmitting disease.
I personally think his response was inhumane and that he should have attempted to help her and at least provide her with some water whilst seeking someone else to help, if he himself wasn't permitted to touch her. The fact that the photographer later committed suicide as a consequence of the guilt he felt is testament to the fact that he too felt that he should have helped the child.
I think this example, highlights that ethics will always be open to debate.
Plato's theory of comparative ethics suggests that there is a transience to people's moral perspective which fluctuates according to the influences around them at the time. I can directly relate this to changes I have seen during my dance teaching experience.
I have mentioned, in a previous blog, about the debate over whether it is right to use touch to correct a pupil. When I first started teaching it was the accepted norm that physical correction was integral to dance teaching but now this practice has been brought into question. These changes in thinking have been influenced by changes in the child protection policy and increased knowledge of health, safety and psychology, so this has become an ethical matter open to discussion.
I found this very interesting article on Ethical Issues in the Training and Development of dance teachers in the Private Sector by Sho Bothom in which she talks about the issue of touch, amongst other ethical concerns, in the training of dancers.
http://www.ethicsdance.co.uk
MacIntyre's argument of moral relativism that holds that there is no ethical norm because what is believed by one society could be entirely different from the belief of another is interesting because it makes you step back and consider the wider political, religious and cultural arena.
If you apply moral relativism to the scenario of the photographer and the dying child then it could be argued that the photographer was acting ethically because he was acting in accordance with his employer's instructions and his brief was not to touch the child in order to try to prevent the spread of disease.
In dance training I can apply moral relativism to the different methods of teaching adopted by different countries which we might consider unethical because they differ from those we use in this country. The rigorous training of dancers, for example, implemented in the past in China, and mentioned in the book "Mao's Last Dancer" by Li Cunxin, makes comparisons between his training and that received at the time in the western world. The strict regime of his training pushed his young body to its limits. It was accepted in China that this was necessary to achieve the best results but this same harsh regime was not implemented in the UK.
What is morally and ethically acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another.Today we would consider the teaching practice Cunxin endured unethical on health and safety grounds.
In my attempt to further enhance my understanding of ethics I looked at articles connected with dance which I felt could produce an ethical argument.I found an interesting article that brings into debate the training and ethos of the Royal Ballet school and the current practice of the Royal Ballet Company to engage dancers from abroad in preference to graduates of its own school. I decided to look at it in the context of the table above to apply the different ethical approaches to it.
The article suggests that the Royal Ballet Company is unethical in it's selection process and questions the reasons why the dancers it has trained are not considered good enough to be employed by them. If you apply a deontologist approach to the debate then you could say they are behaving unethically because they should have a duty to give jobs to the dancers they have trained. This would be substantiated by taking their own aims and ethos policy into consideration in which they state they aim :
"To maintain a high employment rate of graduating dancers, with many being recruited to the Royal Ballet or Birmingham Royal Ballet."
If you put a consequential ethicist take on it then you could argue that they have a duty to their investors and to their audience to produce the highest standard of dancers that can be found for the company and that means opening up the selection process internationally and judging each dancer impartially on it's own merit.Therefore they could be seen to be behaving ethically.
The virtue ethicist approach would imply that they are behaving ethically because they are providing excellent training for the pupils in a caring environment. The article states:
"No one at the Royal Ballet School is unconcerned with the pupils' wellbeing and, in many cases, the affection of the staff and teachers for those in their care is palpable and touching."
The article also suggests, however, that the dancers are put under a lot of emotional strain and pressure which has deep psychological implications for the dancers it is training. You could, therefore, argue that the staff must be aware of these psychological effects upon there pupils and so question whether it is morally and ethically correct to continue to put their pupils under these pressures.
The article is interesting because it opens up ethical areas of discussions and highlights that there is no right or wrong approach to ethics but just individual standpoints and opinions.
The link to the article is below:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/mar/25/will-they-make-royal-ballet
This article made me take a look at what had been written about ethics in the dance world. I found the following article very useful:
http://www.dancearchives.net/2012/08/13/anna-malitowska-dancers-professional-ethics/
Because of the fact that we are all individual and face our own moral dilemmas I think it is important for the workplace that rules are established and that everyone is aware of the work ethos and strives to maintain that. I believe that opinions should be able to be expressed, discussed and valued, but, if an individual is continually voicing arguments that move away from the basic principles and beliefs of the organisation, then it is untenable to remain within it.
This Reader has given me a much deeper understanding of what ethics is. Applying the different ethical viewpoints to situations such as the example of the photographer and the dying child and the Royal Ballet article has made me consider wider implications and opinions and recognise that there are many grey areas in ethics.I also found the following site very helpful in defining the different types of ethical viewpoints:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/intro_1.shtml
Looking at the article about the Royal Ballet, which mentions the vulnerability of the young dancers, has made me consider the vulnerability of autistic children and how it is crucial that I give a great deal of thought to the ethical way in which I approach my inquiry into dance and autism. I have to make sure that I approach it in a sensitive, but also objective way and take every care to safeguard any individuals involved in the enquiry.
I consulted the following government policies and then thought about how they related to my area of inquiry:
- Safeguarding Children and Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy -
- Data Protection
- Copyright Protection
- Health and Safety
I have listed some key ethical points to consider in relation to my enquiry:
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MY INQUIRY
- I will ensure that the identity of the people I study and mention is protected and I will do this by using pseudonyms.
- I will seek permission from parents if anyone under the age of 18 years is included in my research.
- I will make sure that all those involved know what the research is about.
- I will make sure that all those involved know what the research is being used for and know when it has finished.
- I will keep all those informed of any future developments that might arise as a result of my work.
- I will comply with the data protection act and ensure that any details of those taking part in the research are kept safely and securely and that no details are passed on to a third party.
- I will comply with health and safety regulations in my research.
- I will comply with the child protection act and make sure that, to the best of knowledge, no-one is put at any risk.
- I will make sure that all participants in the research know that they are free to end their involvement at any time should they wish to do so.
- If photographs are taken I will seek the written consent of those concerned or their legal guardians if under the age of 18 years to use the photographs.
- If video is taken I will seek the prior permission of all concerned to film for my research.
- I will show any finished videos to all those involved in the research should I be requested to do so and agree to edit out any part that they are not happy with, if practical to do so.
- I will seek out literature that assists my research and ensure that it is properly cited and at no time attempt to plagiarise the work of anyone else.
- If music is used as part of any video for the purpose of my enquiry then I will make sure that I have sought and obtained all the relevant licences and permissions to use it.
I think that it is important to present my ethical guidelines for my inquiry to the director of the organisation assisting with my research so that my approach is transparent and it can be seen that I am making every endeavour to safeguard the well being of the participants of my inquiry. I will also permit them to add any extra considerations that are in line with the policies of their organisation.
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