Transcript File - Cheryl L. Harris

Individual Freedom and
the Public Interest
Cheryl Harris, Tammarra Lewis
and Darrell Strong
Summary of a Case
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Susan Loring a ninth grade English
teacher works at a topless bar on
weekends to supplement her teachers
salary and to help out her seriously ill
mother. After a countywide administrators’
meeting, Principal Sam Endicott patronized
the topless bar where he spotted Susan
Loring who was seen dancing and wearing
only a G-string.
Facts
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Sam and Susan worked at Dennison Junior High
Sam asserted that he had no objections to Susan
working a second job as long as it did not interfere
with her teaching responsibilities
Since working a second job Susan had gotten
better at her duties as a teacher
Susan is respected by staff members and idolized
by her students
Some girl students had begun to emulate her
speech and dress
Facts
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Some boy students had fallen in love with her.
Spencertown is a conservative community and
would be outraged if a topless bar was to open
in their community.
Sam believed a person’s out-of-school life was of
no concern to others but this was not the
sentiment of the community.
Sam was embarrassed because his eyes covered
Susan’s nude body.
Questions
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Is there anything wrong
with Miss Susan Loring’s
working as a topless
dancer?
Does her doing so
somehow make her unfit
to teach?
Are people in the
Spencertown community
right to be upset because
Susan and Sam are at the
topless bar?
Personal Liberty
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Does Susan Loring have a right to her second
profession and does Sam Endicott have a right
to patronize a topless bar?
Do parental views about the moral character of
the people who teach their children count?
What effects would Susan’s second profession
have on her students when they find out?
Conclusion
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Distinguish between
public and private
actions
John Stuart MillPeople are entitled to
complete freedom in
the private sphere,
but they might be
accountable to others
in the public sphere.
Mill’s Two-strand Test
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First-Apply to other
cases-moral question
It’s application
seemed to produce
objectionable
consequences. That
seemed to be a
reason for modifying
it.
Mill’s Test Continued
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Analysis:Moral Judgments
facts, moral principles,
preferences
Fact-The grass is green (true or
false).
Moral Principle-We should
always tell the truth (right/ wrong,
duties/obligations).
Preference/value-Pickles are
better than olives (good/better).
Attempted to illuminate the
concept of individual liberty by
seeing how it might be argued for
in terms of two abstract moral
views that was sketched earlier,
the principle of benefit
maximization and of equal
respect for persons
Progress in Ethical Reasoning
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We have learned to use our own moral experiences as
evidence for the adequacy of our formulations of moral
principles
Even if we have not resolved many of the issues we
have raised, we have come to understand what is at
stake in them in a more fundamental way. This leads to
more responsible decision-making.
Tiger! Tiger! Burning Bright
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Sharon Athis, a student at
Enterwood Community
College, was suffering from
anxiety and was assigned to
Bernice Cleis the school’s
counseling psychologist.
Dr. Cleis mentioned of using
successful therapeutic
techniques for sexual anxiety
She was seeing Sharon more
than usual
One evening they were seen
out arm in arm
Sharon’s parents were
concerned about her mental
health
Smith overheard an
inappropriate conversation
between Sharon and Dr. Cleis
when his intercom was on.
Tiger! Tiger! Burning Bright!
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Questions
Would Smith be violating
Cleis’s right to privacy if he left
the intercom on?
Does a professional
psychologist have a right to
privacy in his/her relations
with a client?
Distinguish privacy from
confidentiality and secrecy.
What obligations if any does
Smith have to Sharon Athis?
If you were President of the
college what would you do?
Pregnant
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Helen is the principal at Southwest
High School in an economically
depressed area.
She spent a large amount of time
trying to staff her building.
Rebecca is pregnant and a valued
experienced math teacher.
Rebecca decided to work as long as
she could before having her baby
which was due in November.
Helen tried to convince Rebecca to
stop working immediately so that
she could fill the job for the
upcoming school year.
Helen told Rebecca her first
obligation is to the students
Rebecca told Helen her first
obligation is to her family
Pregnant
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Can Helen rightfully
interfere with Rebecca’s
plans for her maternity
leave?
Is there any moral
principle embedded in
students’ needs for a
competent teacher or
justification for
interference?
How can school districts
avoid this kind of
problem?
The Aryan Brotherhood
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Fred Mueller a first-rate
physics teacher is a member of
the Aryan Brotherhood-a group
that prepares for the collapse
of America and carry simulated
weapons during practice.
Fred is lieutenant in the
organization and a story about
his affiliation in the group was
written in the paper.
The reporter and others
wondered how he could teach
to his Jewish and minority
students.
Fred became upset when
students questioned him about
his affiliation with the white
supremacy group.
The Aryan Brotherhood
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Fred told the students
that his political beliefs
and affiliations are none
of their damn business.
Suppose you were
Principal Sarah Kratz.
What position would you
take regarding Mueller’s
claims? Why?
Compare this case to
Susan Loring’s second
profession. Does the
school have a duty to
promote racial tolerance?