Respond to this classmates discussion post do not critic it simply further the conversation. include any applicable in text citations
OPTION B
Individuals tend to resort to cheating for various reasons. The most common reason is to be able to attain something (the result) in an easier and less stressful way. It may be due to wanting to get good grades and subsequently pass and attain a college degree without exerting efforts to study harder and effectively.
They might think that cheating is a way of going through college without getting caught. It may be due to peer pressure or the mental stigma of knowing that “if other people cheat, why can’t I?” Lack of mental preparedness by studying and cramming are the immediate causes of cheating in my opinion. Pressure to attain perfection in some cases of high achieving students can result in cheating to get the edge in highly competitive universities or to keep grades up throughout the courses (Simmons, 2018).
Studies have shown that most cheaters still perceive themselves as principled individuals who rationalized cheating as morally justified because it benefits them. Applying the morality of ethical egoism, cheating is permissible if it benefits the egoist doing it and it brings him or her happiness. If cheating through any means of violating academic integrity would make the cheater happy and satisfied, then it is the “good thing” to do.
It simply means that having that greater joy of achieving a successful deception is the primary motivation of the egoist or simply for the sake of cheating (Simmons, 2018). Cheating in business is sort of the same thing as the above but in a business, setting to attain greater profit for the company.
Academic dishonesty or cheating causes harm more than good by giving cheaters an unfair advantage over honest students and causes distrust to cheater’s parents and teachers. It creates a culture of Academic or business dishonesty or cheating that causes more harm than good to the person cheating, to the people around him or her, and the society. It creates a culture of mistrust according to Hanby Hudgens (2016). If cheating is justifiable, do we trust the doctor performing surgery on us if we found out that he cheated his way through medical school?
Do we trust a pilot who cheated to get his or her license to fly a plane?
Society is poorly served if we allow individuals to be licensed, certified, and credentialed through cheating because they are less able to perform their role in society as compared to those who did not cheat (Pecorino, 2017). It also creates distrust and deception towards parents and friends of a cheater.
Also, cheating devalues education by being more concerned about getting good grades through cheating without considering the value of learning. The cheater harms himself or herself more than he or she ever realizes in the long run, because according to the recent studies on academic cheating, it shows that cheating as a student correlates with cheating in later professional life and with other misbehaviors (Bouville, 2009).
Cheating is unethical per Kant’s Deontological Theory, it is our duty to treat other people as rational beings and in doing so, we are obliged to do our duty to treat them with respect and honesty and cheating is going against our moral obligation/ duty. According to Kantianism, there are moral principles called categorical imperatives which are universal moral principles that apply to all individuals regardless of context or situation (Fiala & Mackinnon, 2018).
In other words, morality must be based on categorical imperatives that are universally accepted without giving any regard to the consequences. Being honest because it is the right thing to do out of one’s moral duty is the main core of Kantianism and cheating in any form is the exact opposite of honesty.
According to virtue ethics, the virtues and principles of truth, trust, and excellence of character would not support any forms of deception or dishonesty (Pecorino, 2017). Moreover, a virtuous person develops habits that strengthen excellence in character and willingness to resist temptations to act and do according to the set of moral virtues. The mean is leaning towards virtuous behavior aiming at a good life or well-being with admirable traits (Pecorin0, 2017). Cheating in any way, shape, or form is ethical according to virtue ethics.
To sum it up, cheating is not justified according to Kantianism and virtue ethics as it violates the duty/moral obligation of rational human beings, and it is going against the very essence of being a virtuous person who leans towards good and virtuous traits.
References
Bouville, M. (2009). Why is cheating wrong? Studies in Philosophy and Education, 29(1), 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-009-9148-0
Fiala, A. and Mackinnon, B. (2018). Ethics: Theory and contemporary issues (9th ed). [Cengage].https://ng.cengage.com/static/nb/ui/evo/index.html?deploymentId=5672222386137722397358902154&eISBN=9781305959538&id=1095921008&snapshotId=2258470&
Hanby Hudgens, L. (2016, January 23). Why cheating hurts students now and in their future. Grown and Flown. https://grownandflown.com/cheating-hurts-students-now-and-future/
Pecorino, P. (2017). Academic integrity and cheating: Why is it wrong to cheat? Cuny.edu. https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/Academic-Integrity-cheating.html
Simmons, A. (2018, April 27). Why Students Cheat—and What to Do About It. Edutopia; George Lucas Educational Foundation. https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-students-cheat-and-what-do-about-it
