Toby I

Dr. V

Introduction to Ethics

31 May 2017

The Ethics of Community Service

A Contextual Application of Various Ethical Theories to the Practice of Community Service at

Lawrenceville

Everybody at The Lawrenceville School does community service. The club list is filled

with non-profit organizations, fulfilling countless hours of service and mailing annual checks to

the charities that they are aligned with. As a member of this community, part of me wants to say

that this is purely out of kindness: model Lawrentians bettering the community through their

natural possession of altruistic character. Part of me wants to commend the work that

Lawrenceville students put into making the world a better place with no expectation of reward.

This part of me is naive; this part of me is wrong. With the help of philosophers, Ayn Rand, John

Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant, my platform investigates the true intentions of altruism,

analyzing the natural pursuit of self-interest and questioning the very fundamentals of volunteer

work as a practice. Although the essence of community service is seemingly irreproachable and

the consequences have positive effects on the community, Lawrencevilles incentives such as

induction into the OVAL and McClellan Societies pollute and degrade the supposed ethical

value held in volunteering because an act of selflessness is overshadowed by pursuit of ones

own self-interest.
 For starters, everybody at Lawrenceville performs community service due to a school-

wide policy, which detracts from the work being done. As outlined on the Lawrenceville

Schools website, individuals who enter the school in their II, III, and IV form years are expected

to complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer service to the community. (The

Lawrenceville School). Even students who enter the school as new seniors and postgraduates are

required to complete a minimum of 20 hours in order to receive a Lawrenceville diploma. Now,

for those students who so happen to complete a whopping 200 hours of service to the greater

community during their high school years[,] are honored with membership in the OVAL

Society, which honors Outstanding Volunteers at Lawrenceville and those who serve 400 hours

or more become members of the McClellan Society. (The Lawrenceville School). My

argument addresses why incentives such as induction into these prestigious leagues, detract from

the moral and ethical value of helping others. Through the employment of Ayn Rands

philosophy of ethical objectivism, one is able to see how community service and action that can

be perceived as altruistic can also be used for personal gain.

Though Rand and her theory of ethical objectivism are against altruism, her recognition

of the potential benefits that come from helping others displays how individuals are able to

exploit systems that encourage service for their personal gain. For starters, Ayn Rand labels

altruism as the biggest evil of all. As outlined in her book, The Fountainhead, man can survive

in only one of two ways- by the independent work of his own mind or as a parasite the parasite

faces nature through an intermediary He declares that man exist in order to serve others. He

preaches altruism Altruism the sacrifice of self to others. (Boss 232) Rand, whose entire

philosophy is built on the precept of following ones self-interest, poses altruism as a complete

juxtaposition to the integrity held in fulfilling ones own needs. Altruism is the antithesis to
ethical objectivism. Unless, however, your goal through helping others is not out of kindness or

sacrifice, but rather the interest of oneself. I used a degree of sarcasm in saying Lawrentians

who so happen to complete a whopping 200 hours of service are inducted into the OVAL

Society because individuals do not simply find themselves in the Society. To achieve 200 hours

rather than the required 40 is something that must be actively sought after and pursued. And

many do, over their Lawrenceville career, achieve this feat, but why? Judith Boss, in her book,

Ethics for Life: A Text With Readings, writes that [h]elping others is often in our own self-

interest because they will then be more likely to help us when we need them, which when

applied to the context of community service at Lawrenceville means that despite the evil of

altruism, ones pursuit of long term self-interest describes why people would commit the

supposed atrocity of self-sacrifice through volunteering (Boss 202). While reasons for doing

community service can vary across the Lawrenceville community, it is a given notion that

colleges perceive community service to be a display of high character, displaying the student in a

light of righteousness to the universitys admissions committee. This would, of course, be in the

better interest of a Lawrenceville student as they scramble to find activities and feats that make

them stick out amongst the crowd of college applicants.

Utilitarian thought focuses on the pleasure produced by action rather than consequence:

the primary factor as to why the incentives that entice individuals to perform service are

meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Key thinker in outlining the foundational principles

of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill, defined utility as the Greatest Happiness Principle, (GHP)

in which actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend

to produce the reverse of happiness. (Marino 229). From the perspective of utility, the presence

of the OVAL Society on the Lawrenceville campus actually adds pleasure to the work of
community service. Now, on top of the hungry getting a meal from a students help at the soup

kitchen, that student will find pleasure in being recognized for their work. Additionally, the

reverse of happiness is defined as the privation of pleasure, which would apply to individuals

who go above and beyond the 40-hour graduation requirement only to receive no recognition for

their service (Marino 229). Incentivizing community service ensures that those in poverty

receive what they need while the students who perform the work are recognized for their work.

Pleasure is maximized in this win-win scenario.

In common fashion to utilitarianism, Immanuel Kant models the pursuit of happiness into

his deontological philosophy. With the ultimate good defined as fulfilling ones duty, Kant

dually acknowledges that we have a duty to assure our own happiness. (Boss 301) Dissimilar

to utilitarianism, deontology adopts interest in the intentions behind community service; Yet,

reaching the same conclusion by holding service to others as a categorical imperative. The

categorical imperative is a maxim that is universal and can be applied to any question of moral

judgment. Helping others and showing love to ones neighbor is a prime example of a categorical

imperative because it can be applied globally and is applicable to any lifestyle and day to day

interaction. Deontological theory suggests that we have a duty to serve others and not fulfilling

this duty is immoral. Next, the Lawrenceville school has a duty to celebrate students who go

above and beyond what is expected of them. Lawrencevilles website outlines the Lawrenceville

20/20 Mission Statement. It reads, Through House and Harkness, Lawrenceville challenges a

diverse community of promising young people to lead lives of learning, integrity, and high

purpose. Our mission is to inspire the best in each to seek the best for all. (The Lawrenceville

School). In reference to a high purpose and inspiring the best in each, Lawrenceville selects

community service volunteers, who display characteristics of higher purpose, and induct them
into leagues such as OVAL and McClellan as means of promoting the service above self

lifestyle.

Furthermore, never did I define ethical objectivism as the ultimate, universal good. The

key principle to be borrowed from ethical objectivism is the notion of pursuing humanitys

constant pursuit of self-interest. In fact, the utilitarian perspective of how incentivizing

community service is a win-win, does indeed allow for the greatest happiness of the public;

Solely, however, because of ignorance to the true intentions displayed in the GHP. For this case,

Id like to cite a fictitious work that aired on Nickelodeon in the latter 2000s. In a Christmas

special of popular television production, Drake and Josh, trouble lands the two stepbrothers in a

tough situation: either give a little orphan girl and her foster siblings the best Christmas ever, or

face judicial repercussions. Things go generally well until the family finds out the true intentions

for why Drake and Josh spent so much time and effort into making their holiday season so

special: in order to get out of trouble with the law. This example relates directly back to

community service at Lawrenceville. If the tutoring program, in which a Lawrentian tutors a

young student on a weekly basis, publicized the fact that the Lawrenceville student is doing the

program out of their 40-hour community service requirement, it would devalue the relationship

between student and tutor in the eyes of the kid. Even the pleasure of learning from a big sibling

figure is lessened because it is no longer about helping the child but what helping the child can

potentially bring to the volunteer. The trust is diminished and the relationship is tarnished.

Additionally, what dictates that the intentions of a deontologist are devoid of any ulterior

motives? Likewise, what goes to say that through performing community service, though not

consciously, one is not unknowingly pursuing the acknowledgment of OVAL Society

membership? Even for individuals who fall short of the 200 hour OVAL requirement; are they
subconsciously pursuing the acknowledgment of students, teachers, and parents for their service

to the needy? Humanity lacks the self-awareness to define subconscious thought. Intrinsic to the

word, subconscious, subconscious intentions and desires are not subject to the scrutiny and

judgment of conscious thought. Moreover, we are called to acknowledge the mere presence of

potential subconscious thinking while making moral judgments: something that deontologists

lack the self-awareness to achieve. Lastly, a quote from Immanuel Kant reads, So act as to treat

humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end in itself,

never as a means only. (Boos 305). Through community service and subconscious selfish

thought, the presence of incentives transforms volunteer work and poses those in need as a

means to an end. It is an indirect form of manipulation and is employed readily here at

Lawrenceville.

To summarize, Lawrenceville glorifies community service, stigmatizing volunteer work.

However, as someone who is neither a part of the OVAL nor McClellan societies, I can not

speak on behalf of its members. Since, after all, the ethical value of community service is

determined through the judgment of the individual performing the work. Despite my rebuttal

through deontology, if an individual believes within themselves that they do community service

out of a true passion for helping others, who am I to expose their selfish subconscious? As for

those who actively pursue membership in the Societies (as both ethical objectivism and

utilitarianism define as moral, their service, despite benefitting the community, would have a

much warmer reception if the passion for aiding others supersedes the fickle desire to join the

prestigious community service societies.

 Works Cited

Boss, Judith. Ethics for Life: A Text with Readings. 6th ed., New York, McGraw-Hill.

"Community Service." The Lawrenceville School, www.lawrenceville.org/page/academics/

graduation-requirements/community-service.

Marino, Gordon D. Ethics: The Essential Writings. New York: Modern Library, 2010. Print.

"Mission and Strategic Plan." The Lawrenceville School, www.lawrenceville.org/page/about/

mission-and-strategic-plan.