Advice On Plagiarism

by Tom Boy in response to request for Advice On Plagiarism

posted on 06/13/2009

There are several ways to think about the moral dilemma born of plagiarizing and wanting to change this behavior. In ethics, consideration basically follows three different lines: There are claims that certain actions are always right and others always wrong. Kant is a major thinker along these first lines. Second, there are ideas that right and wrong should be determined according to the situation. Fletcher is one thinker who pursued this idea. the third consideration is that doing what is right builds or forms character in much the same way that exercise builds strength. All three of these branches are further weighed in view of consequences.

Given this background, the advice I want to give is based on what the reforming plagiarist hopes to build -- or rebuild -- for him or herself. The problem is not simply getting rid of guilt, and it is not simply about being forgiven, or about facing consequences. It is true that some sort of debt has not been paid to the source of the stolen material, but repaying that debt is also not the central problem.

The person who plagiarizes has two major problems regarding their own development: The first is that they have not learned what they needed to learn, and the second is that they have not taken steps to become the best person possible. In the end, the grades, diplomas and degrees of a plagiarist are bogus -- and the problem is that a weightlifter certified to lift 200 punds will be expected to lift 200 pounds. The high school plagiarist can get him or herself into a college where the work is beyond what they can lift. The college plagiarist gains a degree that says s/hewill be able to do things at work s/he cannot do. The graduate student takes this problem a step further. In many careers, not having the knowledge and skills a person claims to have can be down right dangerous: Do I really want a nurse who cheated giving me my shots? Do I really want the engineer who copied answers to build a bridge here in town?

The second problem for the person who plagiarizes is that s/he loses her/him self to their behavior. It is not a far step from, "I plagiarized," to "I am a plagiarist." Repeated dishonesty becomes a habit of dishonesty. Eventually, our habits are who we are. Think of it this way: what a person does -- and does repeatedly -- can make that person only human. Or it can make the person truly human.

Hee is some advice, at last: First, the person who plagiarized must ask, "What do I need to do to make up learning what I did not learn?" Maybe the teacher is really needed as the guide to learning what was lost here. Second, the person must ask, "Who am I, and who am I trying to become?" Then take action that will build that person -- and build that person as truly strong and truly good. The answers lie within you, the one who asked the question.

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jtrombetti says:

(148d 5h 55min ago)