RE: Ethical dilemmas and what to do about them
My ethical dilemma is whether or not I should study in ethics.
I see ethics as the evil twin to rationality and logic, which really hurts me personally. Ever since the idea of ethos, pathos, and logos in writing classes, we know that emotions are the hardest hitting. When the emotions come flooding in, we tend to do what we feel is right through some sort of self-justification, even if those justifications are not rational. This plays a huge role in why it is so difficult to explain to others why your moral position is "right". Whether it be deontological ethics, utilitarianism, or some other moral code, we always find ourselves in tough situations.
I do believe everything tends to have a rational solution, but whether or not we take it is a whole different choice. Ethics lets people point fingers too easily, which I guess, goes against my own ethics. Quite ironic if you ask me.
There are a lot of reasons to study ethics - not least that you need it to be a well-rounded philosopher; having more than one are of competence is a plus for future employment too.
I understand your reticence. The first few years of my undergraduate degree I wasn't a fan of ethics - I couldn't see how it could ever lead to precise answers. But I think now that I was missing the point. Most ethics specialists (other than possibly Peter Singer) admit that it's a complicated things and there are no easy answers. Ideally, I think the study of ethics can help encourage the development of phronesis - practical wisdom, though you should avoid letting logic blindly override the context of the society that you're in. Learning to take a step back from these decisions is a good thing, and I wish more people could learn that skill.
Most of all, I guess I've come to accept the view of many philosophers, not least my PhD co-supervisor Joe Mintoff, that the study of ethics isn't always about coming to absolutely correct views, sometimes it's about coming to relatively better ones. (You'd probably enjoy talking to Joe - he started off as a computer scientist before taking up philosophy, and is a pretty good logician besides).