Exploring Ethical Dilemmas Using the “Drifting Goals” Archetype

Abstract

This article demonstrates how the system archetype “drifting goals” can be used in the classroom to explore ethical dilemmas. System archetypes provide a framework that shifts the focus from seeing ethical dilemmas as stemming solely from the acts of individuals to exploring the systemic structures that are responsible for generic patterns of behavior over time. The use of a system archetype in the classroom is an important pedagogical approach and communication device to encourage systemic thinking. The drifting goals archetype exposes students to new ways of thinking about ethical problems and the structures that create them.