Positive Social Change

1. Write a summary of your understanding of positive social change. (Be sure to use in text citations from this week’s readings and any supplemental readings)

Positive social change refers to actions that improve the condition and welfare of people within the community. It is usually reflected through asctivism and a willingness to create better outcomes for others (Chell, Spence, Perrini, & Harris, 2016). Positive social change only occurs when people take initiative and inspire others to emulate their actions.

2. Write an explanation of the impact of ethical decision making on positive social change. (Be sure to use in text citations from this week’s readings and any supplemental readings)

Ethical decision making has a significant impact on positive social change. In this regard, making acceptable decisions results in favorable outcomes for all parties. Ethical decision making also contributes to positive social change by empowering people to focus on their environment (Chell et al., 2016). For example, a company that decides to participate in environmental cleanup can encourage people to show concern for their surroundings. The actions of the company are ethical since the latter consumes resources from the environment.

3. Summarize a specific example of the ethical decisions you proposed throughout the course and explain how they might promote positive social change. (Be sure to use in text citations from this week’s readings and any supplemental readings)

One of the ethical decisions proposed throughout the course involved the shutting down of Guantanamo Bay Prison. Suspected terrorists were subjected to cruel and inhumane punishment while at the offshore site. Many detainees were frequently tortured, beaten, and subjected to other extreme interrogation tactics. The activities at Guantanamo contravened Battlefield Ethics. In this respect, captured hostiles were to be treated with dignity and respect. It was vital to treat their wounds and allow them their legal rights (Thompson & Jetly, 2014). Shutting down Guantanamo would promote positive social change by exalting the due process of the law. People would be motivated to pursue established legal processes rather than taking matters into their own hands.

4. Explain any negative impacts in terms of social change that this (paragraph 3) decision making might have. (Be sure to use in text citations from this week’s readings and any supplemental readings)

Nevertheless, this decision can make some people feel disillusioned. Particular segments of society approve the use of torture since they feel that terrorists are beyond the essence of the criminal justice system (Pasquini, 2018). If the site was closed, individuals may question why deliberate killers were treated with compassion yet the latter felt no sympathy for their victims.

References

Chell, E., Spence, L. J., Perrini, F., & Harris, J. D. (2016). Social entrepreneurship and business ethics: Does social equal ethical? Journal of Business Ethics, 133(4), 619-625.

Pasquini, E. (2018). Activists Demand Closure of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 37(2), 54-54.

Thompson, M. M., & Jetly, R. (2014). Battlefield ethics training: Integrating ethical scenarios in high-intensity military field exercises. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5(1), 23668.