Making Ethical Choices: A Student Guide to Ethical Lenses
Every day, we make choices that shape who we are and how we impact the world around us. These short videos introduce foundational ethical frameworks to help students think more critically about the decisions they face — in school, at work, and in life. By learning to see situations through different ethical lenses, students gain tools to make thoughtful, responsible, and value-aligned choices.
Caroline Smith is a communication and philosophy major and was a 2024-25 Hackworth Fellow with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Views are her own.
Introduction
Speaker: Caroline Smith '25
2024-25 Hackworth Fellow, Caroline Smith ’25 Introduces her fellowship project which aims to help guide students through various lenses for students to consider when making an ethical decision.
Overview: Why Ethics Matters
Speaker: Executive Director, Don Heider
What does it mean to make an ethical decision? This video introduces the Markkula Center's approach to ethical decision-making and explores why thinking ethically matters in everyday life.
Rights Lens
Speaker: Noah Kisiel '26
Learn how the rights lens helps us think about our obligations to others and what happens when individual rights come into conflict.
Justice Lens
Speaker: Hydeia Wysinger '25
Explore what fairness really means, and how different concepts of justice — from equality to need — influence ethical decisions in society.
Utilitarian Lens
Speaker: Caroline Smith '25
Discover how utilitarianism weighs consequences to determine the best outcome for the greatest number, and what trade-offs that approach can involve.
Common Good Lens
Speaker: Anna Mulderink '27
The common good lens asks us to think about collective well-being. This video examines how ethical choices can build a stronger, more connected society.
Virtue Lens
Speaker: Noah Kisiel '26
What kind of person do you want to be? The virtue lens emphasizes character, habit, and moral growth as a lifelong journey.
Care Ethics Lens
Speaker: Claire Krebs '26
Ethics is not just about rules and logic — it’s also about empathy and relationships. Learn how care ethics centers compassion and context in decision-making.