Ahhh...the dilemma

chjorg

5-Year Member
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Sep 11, 2010
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DS got asked this question by the senator's nominating committee. "What would you do if given an order to do something immoral?
(dilemma: disobey orders or bury conscience?)
How would you respond?
 
There are usually 100 ways to solve every problem. Simply find a different solution that is not immoral to still get the job done. Your boss gets what s/he wants and you have a clear conscience!
 
Morality: Is a state of mind. What MAY appear to be "Immoral" to one person may not seem immoral to another person. My first question would be: "How did your son reply". Sounds like you're asking for confirmation on whether your son answered the question appropriately.

Let me elaborate. A superior might order you to torture a prisoner. OR; A superior might order you to fill out information on a report that wasn't totally honest. Both might appear to be immoral to some people. The 2nd might not seem immoral to some, depending on the subject matter. Morality is personal. It's a state of mind. Just like religion is personal to the individual. Some try and live a totally "Moral" lifestyle. While others, with just as deep a conviction to their religious beliefs, has no problem drinking alcohol, smoking, pre-marital sex, or even homosexuality.

Guess what I'm saying is: If I was asked that question, I would respond by saying that "Morality" is personal. That each scenario is unique. That if the interviewer could give a specific scenario, then I would be able to respond on how "I" would handle the situation. Handling it could be as simple as discussing it with my superior. Maybe it's elevating it to "Their" superior. Maybe there is a way to accomplish the task while making everyone happy. Maybe what is being asked of me to do, I don't consider immoral. The military isn't "The Movies". We aren't robots who automatically do what we are ordered to do, just because we are ordered to. Anyone who is charged with murder, war crimes, etc... and hides behind the guise of "I was order to".... Well, that person is an idiot. The military doesn't ask or expect that of us. There will no doubt come a time when an order give is one in which we may have apprehension over. Depending on the order, our morality, possible consequences, etc... will determine how it is handled. Good luck. Mike....
 
I agree with Mike it’s a vague interview questions and I would have asked for more specifics scenario and Billy is also right there’s a 100 ways to skin that cat but in light of that I would have answered:

“While it is difficult to answer that question without a specific scenario in mind I would measure the outcome of what would happen if I followed the order and if I didn’t. But ultimately I would have to fall back to one of the Air Force’s Core Values of Integrity first. No matter what my decision is that I will be Honest about my decision and not lie about how I came to that decision. I will also be Responsible for the consequences of my decision and that I will also be held Accountable for that decision because by making that decision the buck stops with me and I will not shift blame onto the person that gave the order or to those under my command that helped in carrying out that order.”

The above answer shows that you would apply a thought process to the situation and that you would live the outcome and not shirk the responsibility of your command. I think with this question the interviewer was looking more for HOW you would answer the question as supposed to the WHAT you answered.

FWIW people tend to forget that Integrity doesn’t only mean honesty but it also means Courage, Responsibility, Accountability, Justice, Openness, Self-Respect, and last but not least Humility.
 
First, I wanted to share with other candidates one of the atypical interview questions he was asked. Secondly, I wanted to hear others thoughts about an answer. DH and I were both Army, so have had this question posed to us before. DS did not answer the way I would have, but he answered appropriately. I agree that immorality isn't defined the same by everyone. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
 
First, I wanted to share with other candidates one of the atypical interview questions he was asked. Secondly, I wanted to hear others thoughts about an answer. DH and I were both Army, so have had this question posed to us before. DS did not answer the way I would have, but he answered appropriately. I agree that immorality isn't defined the same by everyone. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

Ahh sorry chjorg! I mistook the intent of the post :frown:… and now that I understand it I am a bit curious as well on how some of us would answer this question.

And FWIW this guy is going back to being a lurker :frown:
 
Boozebin, I thought your answer was very helpful for those who may get asked a similar question. I also told DS in a discussion that I would consider the honor code. BTW, I ammostly a lurked.:thumb:
 
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