Ethics of Debate

Ethics of Debate
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Ethics of Debate
In this situation, the candidate faces an ethical dilemma on whether to use information about the opponent. It is important for the candidate to start by clarifying the facts on the allegations even though the coordinator claims that they are from a “reliable source”. For the candidate to clarify the facts, he or she should ask to meet the source or have documentary evidence before the debate. Additionally, the candidate should use the basic principles specifically, the standards of behavior expected of public officers (Denhardt R., Denhardt J., & Blanc, 2013). Indeed, if the allegations are true, the candidate should seek to hold the opponent to account during the debate. Additionally, before deciding, the candidate should also analyze arguments based on information he or she had collected about the allegations. The candidate ought to make an ethical deliberation before using the information during the debate.
At the same time, the deontological approach to ethics is also applicable in this case. The approach bases an ethical decision on the wrongness or rightness of an action (Denhardt B., et al., 2013). In the current ethical dilemma, the opponent has had an affair and using this approach, the action is wrong. According to Frederickson and Rohr (2015), the deontological approach also uses rules of behavior that are viewed as permanent and universal. In this case, the opponent has engaged in an affair and this is inexcusable.

From my own personal moral perspective, I believe that public officers like anyone else in society should uphold the highest standards of morality. The opponent has already broken the trust of their family by having an affair if the allegations are confirmed to be true. The fact that he or she should not be allowed to hold public office is the same case as they may also break the trust of the public.

References
Denhardt, R. B., Denhardt, J. V., & Blanc, T. A. (2013). Public administration: An action orientation. Cengage Learning
Frederickson, H. G., & Rohr, J. A. (2015). Ethics and public administration. Routledge.