How to Fix Hadleyburg

How to Fix Hadleyburg

The Ethical Approaches Mark Twain Applied in the Story

Generally, the story “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg” is about a fictional town known as Hadleburg, known for integrity and honesty. An outsider decided to test the integrity and honesty of the community by corrupting the citizens with a sack of gold coins. Mark Twain, the author of the story, applied various moral themes and ethical approaches to the story. In his story, he challenged the self-righteousness of the Hadleyburg people and exposed their moral weaknesses. Some of the ethical approaches applied include the virtue of ethics, where Mark Twain questioned the degree of the Hadleyburg people’s virtues (Small & Lew, 2021). His story mainly revolved around the community’s morals and the reputation of their honesty. The other ethical approach used was social critique. Mark critiqued the societal values by exposing the weaknesses of a community known to be virtuous yet quick to fall for corruption. Lastly, Mark Twain also applied the consequences approach. In the story, he illustrated the repercussions of the Hadleyburg people’s choices and actions.

Other Ways to Fix the Problem that Hadleyburg Represents

Certainly, other ways to fix the problem witnessed in Hadleyburg are available. To begin with is the strategy of self-reflection. The people of Hadleyburg could be encouraged to conduct an introspection and reflect on their actions and behaviors (Bietti, 2020). A deeper understanding of ethics can be gained through self-evaluation of morals and values. As a result, the people would be more committed and genuine to ethical standards. Second is the use of awareness and public education. It would be prudent if the Hadleyburg community invested in moral standards and ethics education. From an early age, moral and ethical education is important to mold a moral culture. Education would include teaching about the various moral theories, the ethical dilemmas, and how to overcome them and encouraging an open discussion about the common moral issues in society (Croce, 2019). Thirdly through leadership and role modelling. The ranked Hadleyburg officials could consider promoting ethical behavior by leading by example and showcasing the benefits of being ethical as a community. When leaders uphold transparency, accountability, and integrity, positive behavior can be transmitted to the whole community. Finally, the other strategy is ethical norm reinforcement. Hadleyburg town would consider developing and reinforcing the ethical norms to govern the community’s behavior. The people who show acts of kindness and uphold ethical norms should then be rewarded. A collective commitment to ethical behavior would benefit the community at large.

Learning Ethical Behavior

Human beings are born with innate morals, and an individual can differentiate what is right from what is wrong. It is not necessarily necessary to learn ethical behavior after exposure to unethical behavior. Our behavior is, therefore, determined by our internal moral sense (Rakic & Rakic, 2021). Nonetheless, there are arguments that ethical behavior can be acquired through positive role modeling. For instance, an individual who interacts and associates with moral and ethical people will emulate ethical behaviors. Conversely, it is also argued that encounters with unethical behavior can lead to learning ethical behaviors. Exposure to unethical behavior helps us appreciate the value of ethical behavior. Furthermore, it is thought that ethics are developed from difficult moral dilemmas. When an individual is faced with a difficult ethical situation, they can reflect and make ethical decisions. Regarding the relationship between innocence and moral behavior, children don’t have to lose their innocence to learn ethical behaviors, as ethical behaviors stem from an individual’s desire to do good (Garlen, 2019). In the modern world, innocence still exists and is evident when one values qualities such as kindness, empathy, and trust.

References

Bietti, E. (2020, January). From ethics washing to ethics bashing: a view on tech ethics from within moral philosophy. In Proceedings of the 2020 Conference on Fairness, accountability, and Transparency (pp. 210-219). https://dl.acm.org/doi/proceedings/10.1145/3351095

Croce, M. (2019). Exemplarism in moral education: Problems with applicability and indoctrination. Journal of Moral Education, 48(3), 291-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2019.1579086

Garlen, J. C. (2019). Interrogating innocence: “Childhood” as exclusionary social practice. Childhood, 26(1), 54-67. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568218811484

Rakić, V., & Rakić, V. (2021). Morality: Innate, Universal?. The Ultimate Enhancement of Morality, 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72473-3_1

Small, C., & Lew, C. (2021). Mindfulness, moral reasoning, and responsibility: Towards virtue in ethical decision-making. Journal of Business Ethics, 169, 103-117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04272-y

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Read Mark Twain’s “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1213/1213-h/1213-h.htmLinks

In a 500+ word paper discuss the following:

What ethical approaches does Mark Twain apply in his short story?

How to Fix Hadleyburg

Hadleyburg’s solution to their lack of ethical understanding is to increase the number of ethical conundrums faced. Are there other ways to fix the problem that Hadleyburg represents?
Can we learn ethical behavior without resorting to, or being exposed to, unethical behavior? Can there be good without evil? Can there be ethics without encountering a lack of ethics? Does an innocent child have to lose that innocence in order to act ethically? Is there a place for innocence in the modern world?