"Ethical dilemmas, also called ethical paradoxes or moral dilemmas, are situations in which an agent stands under two (or more) conflicting moral requirements, none of which overrides the other."
Difficult situations that require a choice between two or more options, each of which leads to a morally questionable outcome.
Moral Philosophy: The study of what is right and wrong behavior, and the principles and values that underpin ethical decision-making.
Utilitarianism: The ethical theory that actions are morally right when they produce the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.
Deontological Ethics: The ethical theory that certain duties, principles or rules should guide our behavior, regardless of the consequences.
Virtue Ethics: The ethical theory that emphasizes the role of character and moral virtues in guiding ethical behavior.
Consequentialism: The ethical theory that evaluates actions based on their outcomes or consequences.
Moral Relativism: The ethical theory that ethical truth is relative to the individual or culture, and that there are no objective moral standards.
Moral Absolutism: The ethical theory that there are universal moral truths that apply to all individuals and cultures.
Ethical Dilemma: A situation where two or more ethical principles or values are in conflict, and a decision must be made between them.
Trolley Problem: A classic ethical dilemma in which a person must decide whether to divert a runaway trolley onto a track where only one person is present or to let it continue on its course and kill several people.
Moral Reasoning: The process of making ethical decisions based on a set of principles or values.
Ethical Decision-making: A systematic process used to determine the most appropriate ethical course of action in a given situation.
Ethics Codes and Standards: Set guidelines that define ethical behavior for a profession, industry, or organization.
Ethical Leadership: The importance of leaders modeling ethical behavior and promoting ethical decision-making within an organization.
Stakeholders: Individuals or groups that have a vested interest in the outcome of an ethical decision.
Corporate Social Responsibility: The ethical obligation of businesses to act in ways that benefit society as a whole, beyond the legal and economic requirements of their shareholders.
Utilitarianism Ethical Dilemma: This refers to the conflict between the greater good for the majority versus the moral rights of an individual or minority.
Deontological Ethical Dilemma: This refers to the conflict between an individual's duty or moral obligation and the consequences of their actions.
Virtue Ethical Dilemma: This type of ethical dilemma involves the conflict between an individual's personal beliefs and their actions that may go against their values.
Care Ethical Dilemma: This type of ethical dilemma concerns the conflict between an individual's responsibility to care for others versus their own personal interests.
Justice Ethical Dilemma: This type of ethical dilemma involves the conflict between fairness, equality and ethical principles and the impact of their actions on society.
Environmental Ethical Dilemma: This refers to the conflict between an individual's responsibility to protect the environment and the impact of their actions on the natural world.
Bioethical Dilemma: This refers to the conflict between an individual's ethical responsibility to protect life and the privacy or autonomy of an individual.
Business Ethical Dilemma: This type of ethical dilemma involves the conflict between an individual's responsibility for fair and ethical business practices versus the pressure of meeting business goals or financial targets.
Medical Ethical Dilemma: This type of ethical dilemma involves the conflict between an individual's responsibility to preserve human life and their responsibility to maintain patient confidentiality or autonomy.
Artificial Intelligence Ethical Dilemma: This type of ethical dilemma involves the conflict between an individual's responsibility to create ethical AI systems that do not threaten human life or values, and the potential risks and dangers associated with new technology.
"A closely related definition characterizes ethical dilemmas as situations in which every available choice is wrong."
"The term is also used in a wider sense in everyday language to refer to ethical conflicts that may be resolvable, to psychologically difficult choices or to other types of difficult ethical problems."
"The central debate around ethical dilemmas concerns the question of whether there are any."
"Defenders often point to apparent examples."
"Their opponents usually aim to show their existence contradicts very fundamental ethical principles."
"An important distinction concerns the difference between epistemic dilemmas, which give a possibly false impression to the agent of an unresolvable conflict, and actual or ontological dilemmas."
"There is broad agreement that there are epistemic dilemmas."
"The main interest in ethical dilemmas takes place on the ontological level."
"Traditionally, philosophers held that it is a requirement for good moral theories to be free from ethical dilemmas."
"But this assumption has been questioned in contemporary philosophy."
"Ethical dilemmas come in various types."
"An important distinction concerns the difference between epistemic dilemmas, which give a possibly false impression to the agent of an unresolvable conflict, and actual or ontological dilemmas."
"Various examples have been proposed but there is disagreement as to whether these constitute genuine or merely apparent ethical dilemmas."
"In ethical dilemmas, an agent stands under two (or more) conflicting moral requirements, none of which overrides the other."
"The term is also used in a wider sense in everyday language to refer to ethical conflicts that may be resolvable, to psychologically difficult choices or to other types of difficult ethical problems."
"The main interest in ethical dilemmas takes place on the ontological level."
"There is disagreement as to whether [proposed examples] constitute genuine or merely apparent ethical dilemmas."
"The central debate around ethical dilemmas concerns the question of whether there are any."
"This assumption has been questioned in contemporary philosophy."