Persuasion can be used in many ways for many purposes. Let's take time to consider the role of ethics in persuasion. What is acceptable to do in order to persuade others? How far would you go before crossing a line into unethical behavior? Consider the following two examples/scenarios.  

Select ONE of the scenarios to respond to (ignore the other). Take a stand on how ethical or unethical the strategies in the one scenario are used by the persuader. Essentially, defend why this strategy described in the scenario is ethical or unethical and why, according to the material.

1. A teenager is paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident. A physician tells the teen there is a chance she may be able to walk again (even though the physician knows better) so the teen won't become despondent about the prospect of spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Is this ethical persuasion?
2. A car salesperson emphasizes that the brand of a car a customer is considering has "more horsepower and better mileage than the competition." The salesperson fails to mention the car has worse reliability and a worse safety record than the competition. Is this ethical persuasion?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The car salespersons scenario involves a form of unethical persuasion By selectively highlighting p... View the full answer