Name: Fabileña, Mark Jhon Paul C.

Section: BSBA 1D

1. if you were a university scientist, how would you decide whether it’s ethical for you to buy amber
from Myanmar?

Maybe ill just consider the moral principles and values I acquired at home, and the society I was raised
in, like taking personal responsibility for my own actions and to their consequences, and how it will
affect me or the people around me. I’ll just consider the safety or life of other people and the fact that
refraining from buying Myanmar amber somehow will not support the imminent war is more valuable
than the potential discoveries from the amber.

2. if you look at a deontological approach, what would your reasoning look like? What moral principles
would you take into account?

Deontology judges the action as right or wrong base on its characteristics irrespective of its
consequences. Thus, it would suggest me to still purchase for its my duty as a researcher and to make
discoveries from it and this action is the ethical thing to do in this situation and what’s unethical is not
fulfilling my obligation as a researcher.

Also, Immanuel Kant argued that one acts with goodwill if he does the right thing for the right
reason/intention. So, my duty here is defined by being a researcher and having the intention of making
contributions and discoveries that can be used for future studies/learning.

3. if you took a utilitarian approach to answer this question what your reasoning looks like? What facts
would you weigh in making a decision?

The utilitarian approach focuses on the results and consequences of the action rather than the nature of
the action or its doer. It also advocates the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Therefore,
applying this approach will refrain me from buying amber and it’s the ethical thing to do for the harm it
will prevent (benefit it will produce) and I must put aside my intention and consider the lives of people.

It will require me to weigh preference personally/as a researcher or my will to produce the best
consequences; my intention or welfare of others; obligation as a researcher or moral obligation. Taking
the utilitarian approach will cause the latter choices to outweigh the other choices.
4. in deciding whether it’s ethical for you to buy amber from Myanmar, do you need to guard against
the self-serving bias? If so, how would you go about guarding against it have a deleterious impact?

self-serving bias often causes us, people to unconsciously make decisions that will serve
ourselves or our interests. So, there’s a need to guard against self-serving bias because it causes us to
bias in favor of ourselves and to fail to notice our bad actions. Here, my decision-making can be affected
by my interest as a researcher to make contributions and discoveries. But guarding it has a deleterious
effect on our self-esteem and confidence in making decisions.