Defining Moments

As Chris Macdonald stated, there are various types of fallacies that prevent us from making the right decision. I’ve also experienced these fallacies many times in real life scenarios. For instance, the fallacy of argument from tradition reminds me of a recent conversation that took place between a co-worker and I.

Since the beginning, it has been our store’s tradition to hire new employees at the minimum wage and raise their salaries when they are promoted to higher positions. However, our manager recently hired a new lady at an hourly wage slightly higher than the minimum wage; in addition, this lady is our manager’s friend. As a result, some of the older employees have become concerned about the fairness of our manager’s decision. Nevertheless, after I read Chris Macdonald’s article, I realized that questioning our manager’s decision based on our store’s traditional practice is wrong. We forgot the fact that this woman is not only more experienced than us, but also more productive.

Moreover, through my work experience, I have recognized that people’s ethical awareness does vary according to the situation. For example, my manager at work values productivity; therefore, if she does not meet her goal for the day, she considers herself as not being productive. Therefore, she will not hold items below $50 for a customer, and sometimes she may even convince customers to purchase items that have been partially damaged. Although I do not believe she intends to harm our customers in any way, she does seem to rank monetary value higher than moral practice.

Overall, since factors such as fallacies, personal values, and external environment all play important roles in our decision making processes, it is crucial for us to take a break from work and reflect on the decisions we have made, as suggested by Marcus Aurelius in his Mediations. By doing this, we are able to learn from the past and gain valuable experience in