An ethical dilemma is a conflict between two or more alternatives where choosing any option will violate some ethical principles. Ethical dilemmas arise when moral agents are forced to choose between options that do not resolve a situation in a morally acceptable way. For example, having to choose between hitting a group of children or one child playing on the road after coming across them while driving at high speed. Another example is deciding whether a state-owned company should retain or lay off workers to stay financially viable. Facing an ethical dilemma, no choice will be completely right or wrong as the person will do something unethical no matter the alternative chosen.

1. What is dilemma?
Confusion in choosing between two
or more conflicting alternatives
Example:
Choosing between two of your
favorite shirts.
Struggling to decide whether or not
to get a haircut

2. If a person is in a difficult situation but is not
forced to make a choice, that individual is not in a
dilemma
When dilemmas involve human actions which
have moral implications, they are called ethical or
moral dilemmas

3. Ethical Dilemmas

4. What are ethical dilemmas?
Is a conflict between alternatives
In this conflict, some ethical principles are
compromised
Provides the basic elements of decision-making by
analyzing options and their consequences.

5. Ethical dilemmas are situations where persons who are
called ‘moral agents’ are forced to choose between two
or more alternatives
The options do not necessarily resolve the situation in a
morally acceptable manner
Examples: Driving at high speed only to come across a
group of children playing on the road and one child
playing on the side of the road, either your hit a group
or one child. What will you do?

6. Another example may be retrenching workers
at Eskom for it to remain afloat or retain the
workers and allow it to sink. Being a state
entity, what can the government do with
Eskom
Thus, ethical dilemmas involve choosing the
greater good and lesser evil

7. A crucial feature of ethical dilemma is that a person
faced with it should do both conflicting acts, but cannot;
he/she may choose only one
Not choosing one is the condition that allows the
person to choose another
Thus, the same act is required and forbidden at the
same time
No matter what is chosen, a person faced with a
dilemma will do something wrong

8. Please watch this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwOQ7Z
qDWN4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwOQ7Z
qDWN4

9. What do you do when you find yourself in an
ethical dilemma?
How do you figure out the best path to take?
Ethical dilemmas in education?