Ethical choices are not made with absolute certainty; they are not deductive like mathematical problems and solutions. Ethical decisions are made through judgement and by validation through a rational appeal to a number of principles, as above. There is no unique correct solution to a moral dilemma. However, in assessing moral positions, a person can rationally examine alternative options and choose the correct one. Chris Sadler concludes:

"You can make a rational choice - that means you can give reasons for your choice. But it can still be morally wrong or morally repugnant to somebody else, or just different to what somebody else would have done in those circumstances. . All you can do is make a decision that is 'right for you' and going through the guidelines helps you to find out what that is and also to assemble your reasons (i.e. rational basis) for doing it."

The rules and principles presented in the above framework can be applied to the case facts of instances where ethical dilemmas have been invoked in the development and deployment of computers.