The Potter Box is a model for making ethical decision

Ethical decision

In the context of decision making, your ethics are your personal standards of right and wrong. They are your basis for making ethically sensitive decisions.- Ethics vs. Morals :The words 'ethics' and 'morals' are frequently used interchangeably....

s, developed by Ralph B. Potter, Jr.http://www.hds.harvard.edu/faculty/em/potter.html, professor of social ethics emeritus of Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...

. It is commonly used by communication

Communication

Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...

 ethics scholars. Moral thinking should be a systematic process. A judgment is made and action is taken. How do we come to decisions must be based in some reasoning.

Steps

The Potter Box has four steps. Potter’s Box is an ethical framework used to make decisions by utilizing four categories which Potter identifies as universal to all ethical dilemmas. Potter was a theologian when he developed this moral reasoning framework. The Potter Box uses four dimensions of moral analysis to help in situations where ethical dilemmas occur: Facts, Values, Principles, and Loyalties as described below.
The Potter Box consists of a few simple steps, which can be completed in any order. You may also move between the steps several times before an adequate decision is made. The steps are numbered for simplicity's sake, and it may help you to organize the steps into quadrants(Cliff Christens came up with this idea).

Definition / Facts

The definition stage of the Potter Box concerns the facts of the issue at hand. Here is where the analyst should set out all facts without making judgments or hiding any facts. both are shown below
Example: Using a photograph of a car wreck to promote safe driving, making it visible to the target viewers.

Values

At this stage the analyst should state and compare the merits of different values to acknowledge the influences on decision-making. By referring to the specific concerns of the individuals involved, it allows the analyst to identify differences in perspectives.
We may judge something according to aesthetic values(harmonious, pleasing), professional values(innovative, prompt), logical values(consistent, competent), sociocultural values(thrift, hard work), and moral values(honesty, nonviolence).

Example (continued)- Will the shock value of the images encourage safe driving habits? Will the images stir up potentially disturbing memories for certain people?

Principles

Principles are ethical philosophies or modes of ethical reasoning that may be applicable to the situation. By considering the values stated above from several ethical philosophies, the decision-maker is better equipped to understand the situation. The following are some of the ethical philosophies that may be utilized under this segment of Potter's Box:

• Aristotle's Golden Mean. Aristotle
  Aristotle
  Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
  
  's Golden Mean defines moral virtue as a middle state determined practical wisdom that emphasizes moderation and temperance.

• Confucius' Golden Mean. Confucius
  Confucius
  Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
  
  ' Golden Mean is more commonly known as the compromise principle and says moral virtue is the appropriate location between two extremes.

• Kant's Categorical Imperative. Kant
  KANT
  KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
  
  's Categorical Imperative dictates what we must never do, and those actions that have become universal law.

• Mill's Principle of Utility. John Stuart Mill
  John Stuart Mill
  John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
  
  's Principle of Utility dictates that we must seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

• Rawls' Veil of Ignorance. John Rawls
  John Rawls
  John Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
  
  ' Veil of Ignorance asks us to place ourselves in the position of the people our decisions may influence.

• Agape Principle. This principle, also known as the Judeo-Christian, 'Persons as Ends' principle, emphasizes love for our fellow humans and the golden rule
  Ethic of reciprocity
  The Golden Rule or ethic of reciprocity is a maxim, ethical code, or moralitythat essentially states either of the following:* : One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself....
  
  .

These help link concrete options to overarching principles, getting us to think about our own basic values.

Loyalties

Loyalties concern who the decision-maker has allegiances or loyalties to. For example, in journalism, the first allegiance is always to the public. Other allegiances a journalist might have would be to his or her employer, industry organizations or co-workers. Are we more concerned about being true to our own values or about the effectiveness of the campaign? Is the "greater good" more important than the "golden mean"?

Understanding Values

To understand the Potter Box method, you must first understand types of Values categorized that influence Ethical behavior:

Professional.
Proximity, Firstness, Impact/ magnitude, Recency, Conflict, Human Interest, Entertainment, Novelty, Toughness, Thoroughness, Immediacy, Independence, No prior restraint, Public’s right to know

Moral Values.
Truth-telling, Humanness, Justice/fairness, Freedom, Independence, Stewardship, Honesty, Nonviolence, Commitment, Self-control

Aesthetic.
Harmonious, Pleasing, Imaginative

Logical.
Consistent, Competent, Knowledgeable

Socio-cultural.
Thrift, Hard work, Energy, Restraint, Heterosexuality

Using the Potter Box

Potter's Box is not a solution- it is just a process that helps us think about our options more clearly. It focuses on ethical or moral issues, not pragmatic or legal ones, like whether you will get fired or sued. Potter's Box can help us think through what to do.

These four steps should be taken in order. According to Potter, the Potter Box can be utilized in any ethical situation.

Two different people analyzing the same issue using the Potter Box can arrive at two very different conclusions. In fact, the same person using the same issue could arrive at different decisions when using the box at two different times.

The name "Potter Box" may indicate that this process is very rigid, but this is a fluid process, and you may have to go back and forth among the steps before you can reach a conclusion. This process will also become a bit easier and quicker the more you practice it.