Center for Ethical Deliberation

Q: Where is the Center for Ethical Deliberation?
A: The CED is hosted by servers at the University of Northern Colorado and exists in cyberspace only. However, you can contact the specific individuals affiliated with the Center using the Contact link at the top of your screen.
Q: How can a website make people be ethical?
A: No website (and no other person or institution) can make people ethical unless they already have some desire to figure out the ethical thing to do. However, a website can help people identify the ethical values and principles that may be at stake in any given situation, and it can also provide people with some structure for thinking about ethical issues.
Q: Why should I register for the site?
A: Registration gives you access to our guided deliberation process, a form-based path for thinking about any tough ethical choice you might face. It also gives you access to CED ethics coaches, who will answer specific questions, or provide you with feedback on any deliberations you complete within the site.
Q: What information do you ask for when I register?
A: The CED does not collect any personally identifying information other than the email address (alias) and password you provide. Anything you choose to input into the system is stored in our database, but is linked to your alias and can only be retrieved by you when you log in using your alias and password. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Q: Can you help me retrieve my alias or password if I forget them?
A: No. Because we do not collect any personal information, there is no link between your alias and password and any other fact about you, and no way for the CED to confirm that you are, in fact, the owner of any alias within our site. This means that if you forget your alias or password, you will not be able to access any information you have created and saved under that alias. However, you are welcome to register for the site a second time and create a new alias and password.
Q: Who are the CED ethics coaches?
A: Coaches are current students who have had at least one course in ethics (most are philosophy majors) and have received extensive training on how to help users work with the site. They are trained and monitored by Prof. Nancy Matchett, the author of the CED and Director of the UNC Institute of Professional Ethics. Prof. Matchett also responds to submitted deliberations and questions from time to time.
Q: What information do coaches see about me?
A: Coaches only receive the text of the deliberation or question you have submitted. They never see your alias or password.
Q: What information can I see about my ethics coach?
A: You will only receive the text of your coach’s response. If you would like, you are welcome to respond to the coach’s comments, and to edit your original deliberation.
Q: What kind of feedback do coaches provide?
A: Coaches are trained to help you use the site as effectively as possible. They will not tell you what you should do (since even if they did, you’d have to decide whether to take their advice). They will help you understand any specific step in the Guided Deliberation Process or clarify any information posted on the site, point out (and encourage you to rethink) any misapplications of site material, or suggest additional lines of inquiry (paths through the Guided Deliberation Process) that might be useful given the situation you described,
Q: How can I become an ethics coach?
A: Assuming you have completed at least one course in ethics, you can apply to be a coach at anytime by logging in to the site and completing a guided deliberation using all three frameworks. The subject of your deliberation can be anything you choose, but please write “ETHICS COACH APPLICATION” in the title line.
Interested coaches are also welcome to contact Prof. Matchett directly. You can reach her using the “Contact Us” link found at the top of your screen.
Q: Can I use the CED in my courses?
A: The CED is designed to be an all purpose resource for thinking about ethical issues. Students who have assignments or papers that include an ethical component may find the site useful in structuring their thinking about the course material (of course, you should cite the CED appropriately if it plays a major role in the development of your views). Faculty who are interested in incorporating the CED into their course plans are encouraged to contact Prof. Nancy Matchett, the author of the CED and Director of the UNC Institute of Professional Ethics, for assistance. Prof. Matchett is available to guest lecture or to help design specific assignments, and can also provide you with samples of how the site has been used in other courses.
Q: What is the difference between a “tough choice” and an “ethical dilemma?”
A: An ethical dilemma is a very specific situation in which there is no way to act without violating an important value or principle. For example, suppose there are two absolute moral duties, and only two courses of action in a particular situation. And suppose that doing Action #1 satisfies Duty #1 but violates Duty #2; while doing Action #2 satisfies Duty #2 but violates Duty #1. In that situation there is no way to avoid doing something unethical. That is a genuine dilemma.

Tough ethical choices can often feel like dilemmas when in fact they are not. Often one or more of the duties might not apply in the specific situation, once the details are understood. Or there might be a third option which you didn’t think of initially, and which avoids violating any ethical values or principles. This doesn’t necessarily mean that tough choices are easy to resolve. But it does mean that you should not call something a “dilemma” too quickly. Instead, you should try to figure out whether there is a way to avoid violating any ethical value or principle.
Q: I explored my situation using two different frameworks, and generated a different answer from each one. Why doesn’t the Guided Deliberation Process help me resolve this kind of conflict?
A: You can get help with this kind of situation by submitting your deliberation for feedback from an ethics coach.