Ethics, also referred to as moral philosophy, is the study of morality, the study of good and bad, of right and wrong. It’s concerned with actions, with behaviors; it’s concerned with classifying and distinguishing between behaviors that are moral (ethical, good, right) and those that are immoral (unethical, bad, and wrong).
Before reading further about ethics, consider some of the popular beliefs about ethics, perhaps one or more of which you hold personally.
For each of the following statements place a T (for True) if you feel the statement accurately explains what ethical behavior is and an F (for False) if you feel the statement does not accurately explain what ethical behavior is.
_____ 1. My behavior is ethical when I feel (in my heart) that I’m doing the right thing.
_____ 2. My behavior is ethical when it is consistent with my religious beliefs.
_____ 3. My behavior is ethical when it is legal.
_____ 4. My behavior is ethical when the majority of reasonable people would consider it ethical.
_____ 5. My behavior is ethical when the effect of the behavior is more beneficial than harmful.
All five of these statements are (generally) False; none of them state a useful explanation of what is and what is not ethical.
(1) Statement 1 is False simply because people often do unethical things they feel are morally justified. Jack the Ripper killing prostitutes is a good historical example but there are many current ones such as stalking (I’m so in love I need to be with this person) or insurance scams (My family needs the money more than the insurance company). Even though Jack, the stalker, and the scam artist may feel justified in their own minds, it doesn’t make the behavior moral or ethical.
(2) Statement 2 must be False when you realize that different religions advocate very different kinds of behavior, often behaviors that contradict one another. Examples abound in almost every issue of a daily newspaper.
(3) Statement 3 must be false when you realize so much discrimination against certain people is perfectly legal in many parts of the world, and, in many countries, war (even preemptive war) is legal.
(4) Statement 4 is False because the thinking of the majority changes with the times and has often proven to be extremely immoral. The burning of people supposed to be witches or of those who spoke out against majority opinion (as in the Inquisition) are good examples.
(5) Statement 5 comes the closest to being possibly and sometimes true; but it’s more generally false. The reason it’s more false than true is that the burning of witches, for example, was in the interest of the majority as was slavery and discrimination against gay men and lesbians. But, despite this majority interest, we’d readily recognize these actions as immoral. On the other hand, in deciding whether to do one thing or another, it may prove useful to weigh the good against the bad that would result from each action.
BTW, I got the idea for this self-test after reading “What Is Ethics?” (www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html) and think these 5 statements would make for great discussion in small groups or with the class as a whole.
Three Areas of Ethics
According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(www.iep.utm.edu/e/ethics.htm) the field of ethics consists of three areas:
• Metaethics concerns itself with the origin and meaning of ethical principles—where they come from (God? Social conventions? Cultural norms?) and the meanings of various ethical concepts (What is responsibility? What is right? What is wrong?).
• Normative ethics concerns itself with articulating the standards of right and wrong; this is the area that proposes specific ethical principles (for example, don’t lie, don’t willfully hurt another person). It is from normative ethics that we learn the principles governing what is ethical and what is unethical.
• Applied ethics concerns itself with the ethical implications of controversial issues (Is capital punishment ethical? Is preventing marriage to same sex couples ethical? Is it ethical to engage in war?).
These three areas often intersect. For example, the ethics of capital punishment is clearly applied ethics since it focuses on a controversial issue but it also draws on the insights of metaethics (Where do the rights to kill another person come from? Who has the right to kill another human being?) and on normative ethics (By what standard does one person claim the right to kill another person? Under what conditions might it be justifiable to kill another person?)
Two Approaches to Ethics
So, when is behavior ethical and when is it unethical? Lots of people have come up with lots of theories.
If you take an objective view, you’d claim that the ethical nature of an act—any act—depends on standards that apply to all people in all situations at all times. If lying, advertising falsely, using illegally obtained evidence, and revealing secrets, for example, are considered unethical, then they’d be considered unethical regardless of the circumstances surrounding them or of the values and beliefs of the culture in which they occur.
If you take a subjective view, you’d claim that the morality of an act depends on a specific culture’s values and beliefs as well as on the particular circumstances. Thus, from a subjective position you would claim that the end might justify the means—a good result can justify the use of unethical means to achieve that result. You would further argue that lying is wrong to win votes or to sell cigarettes, but that lying can be ethical if the end result is positive (such as trying to make someone who is unattractive feel better by telling them they look great, or telling a critically ill person that they’ll feel better soon.)
Each field of study defines what is and what is not ethical to its concerns (in the normative ethical sense). Here are just a few to highlight some communication-oriented codes as well as a few to indicate the range of associations that developed and, in some cases, enforce such codes:
• The National Communication Association Ethical Credo (www.natcom.org)
• Bloggers’ Ethics (www.cyberjouranlist.net/news/000215.php)
• Online Journalism (www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/Ethics/print.htm)
• Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (www.rtndf.org./ethics/coe.html)
• National Education Association Code of Ethics for the Education Profession (www.nea.org/aboutnea/code/html)
• American Medial Association Principles of Medical Ethics (www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category)
• Merrill Lynch’s Code of Ethics for Financial Professionals (www.ml.com/cms/templates/so)
Try looking up the code of ethics for the profession you’re in or planning on entering.
259 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 259 of 259I disagree with this logic because all five of these statements are true, in my opinion. I believe that my behavior is ethical when I believe in my heart I am doing the right thing because I would know, deep down, if my behavior is unethical. Also, my religion inspires me to implement ethics into my actions, so I think that if my actions are consistent with my religion, I am being ethical. No part of my religion would ever require me to do anything unethical. My behavior isn't always ethical just because it's legal, but it is definitely always legal when it is ethical. My behavior is not always ethical just because other people agree, but for the most part, reasonable people would agree with good ethical choices. An ethical behavior will always benefit a person more than harm them, no matter what the action is. However, this is not the only thing that determines ethics. In conclusion, I do not believe that all of these statements are true, but they are all more true than false, and I do not agree with the logic that proves them to be false.
I agree with most of the things stated here. Ethics should not be proven right or wrong based upon what the majority of people, a belief, culture or religion believes is right or wrong. The consequences of the action should be taken in but just because they seen right or fair does not make them ethical. However, I do not believe that lying to a person to make them feel better("such as trying to make someone who is unattractive feel better by telling them they look great, or telling a critically ill person that they’ll feel better soon") is ethical. I believe the truth should be spoken but not in a harsh way at all. Lying (in my opinion) is wrong but also telling someone something negative about themselves is also wrong. I believe that the truth (in these cases) should be avoided or instead of stating a lie, saying something positive that would make up for the truth.
I agree that the ethical nature of an act—any act—depends on standards that apply to all people in all situations at all times. I think ethics are subjective with no gray area. It is wrong to kill even if the person killed someone. The criminal should definitely be punished but not murdered. The same holds true with assisting a terminally ill patient in ending their life. Our society is very different from the effects of pushing the limits. There should be one code of ethics and not one constantly changing to fit all the different needs of our society. Diamond
I think there are varying levels of ethics that vary with the stakes of the situation. At a National level the ethics should, and tend to be, more strict. This protects those in the country from murder with "good intentions". However when you are working one on one with someone and they have genuine kind intentions the stakes are lower therefore it is easier to forgive and the damage done by the action is not dangerous.
NAG
I believe that the whole concept of ethics is subjective. Group mentality determining what is right and ethical. Each person has their own set of values and ways to live life which can conflict with others views neither one is right or wrong. Ethics is a conundrum in itself.
I would have to agree to disagree with the statements. Everyone has their own perception of what is and is not ethical. It comes from the way you were raised as a child to the things you have learned as an adult. Just because you may feel something is unethical the next person might feel totally different.
In a general sense, I agree that although all five of these statements can be true, none of them truly encompasses what makes an action ethically correct. For instance although when you are doing something ethical, you might feel in your heart that you are doing the right thing, just because you feel that you are doing the right thing does not mean that you are doing something ethical. Further the moral hierarchy comes into play in statement 3. When faced with two evils that are both illegal, wouldn't the lesser evil be to do the less illegal activity? All these statements must be accounted for subjectively on a case by case basis.
There are statements that can contradict my view and the statements in the blog. I agree with the first, third, fourth and fifth, but I disagree with the second statement. I believe that my behavior would be ethical if it is consistent with my religious beliefs. I believe that if I follow my religion, then I will always be doing the right thing.
I agree with all of these. I agree with the reasoning for each of the 5 statements. Just because you personally think it is correct, doesn't mean it is. And just because you culture allows something to be done, doesn't mean that it is, especially since different cultures allow different "morally correct" things.
I agree and disagree,I think that some of the statements are true, I think some are subjective. Some people perception of ethics is not what my views are.
I think that the subject of "Ethics" is simply there to spark up
discussions and debates without ever a unanimously acceptable conclusion. Like everything else, people's acceptance of certain behaviors does not remain constant. More understanding of other people's acts leads to more acceptability of such acts. However, human beings are generally more intolerant of behavior of which they are not familiar with. But at no point will there be a universal acceptance or rejection of certain acts as ethical or non-ethical.
I agree with every comment above. Keep the debate going folks.
I mostly agree with the five statements. If you kill someone in the name of your religion that does not make it moral. However, there are situations where some things deemed unethical can become ethical. For example, most people will say lying is unethical. Yet, if you are giving a false compliment to make someone happy and feel better I deem this ethical. There are situations for everything and whereas most people agree on what is ethical or unethical there will be different opinions.
I feel like ethics personal to one's self and there is no way to create one universal code of ethics that everyone will agree with and follow. I believe that the ethics that a person believes in and holds close to themselves cannot be changed and it is not the same as anyone else.
I agree and disagree with the information given in the blog. Everyone has their own thoughts or opinions about ethics. In my opinion, I strongly believe in ethical relativism. It is the belief that nothing is objectively right or wrong and that the definition of right and wrong depends on the prevailing view of a particular individual, culture, or historical period.
The five true/false questions on ethics I answered true to about half. After reading why they should be false I agree to all of the statements, that there are different religions that make your action unethical, that just because it feels good you should not do it, and so on. Ethics is more than just what is right or wrong, its about practicing and doing what is right or wrong also.
These statements really rely on context and I do not think they can be completely true or false. Also, someone who is seeking to make an ethical decision should be considering more than one of these factors in order to create the best outcome. Ethics is a very complex subject because it can change across cultures, so I do not think that ethical behavior can be defined in one statement.
I agree with all of what is said. If someone does a terrible thing, but the end result is good, the actions don't just justify themselves. You can have much different belief than someone else but still have the same good ethical values as them.
I agree with all the statements because nobody thinks exactly the same way as somebody else and all religions justify so many different things. Everyone feels like whatever they did can be justified in some shape or form, even if there was really no point and no common sense behind it.
I completely agree with everything stated above. Ethics is purely subjective. What is right in my eyes might be very different in another's eyes. What is ethical to a certain person is very personal. Whether that view is based on culture, upbringing, or their personal experiences,everyone views the world differently. So many different views from so many different people make ethics as a whole very subjective.
I believe that the five statements listed are false because they are all very subjective and people have different views on religion and the law. Also, everyone has their own opinion on ethics and what the right thing is.
I agree with the argument being stated and also think that the questions are contradictory. I believe in my own opinion, that when you fully commit to an activity and you know whether it is right or wrong; you can persuade yourself otherwise. No matter how you justify the situation, it will always be either ethically right or wrong based on other peoples views.
After reading this article, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with all the statements, 1-5, being false. Despite the fact that all topics can be debated to be either true or false, my ground stands with the correct explanations stated by the author.
I mostly agree with what is stated above, although I also understand that ethics are subjective depending on the situation. Lying is a very controversial subject, which is why ethics is difficult to generalize. Something that seems ethical to one person may not be to another, depending on your perspective on the subject. The questions above are also quite broad, and are answered based on what people have been taught, which can be through religion, culture, etc.
Ethics is basically the study of right and wrong, good and bad. Simply saying who are you as a person or speaker, in a since.
I agree with the conclusion that religious beliefs, legality, and personal/societal feelings are not a valid way to determine if something is ethical or not. In addition, if someone does something awful yet the results are positive, it is not justified.
I believe that there is some truth to all five statements but also some level of incorrectness. Ethics is a complicated topic that philosophers and people in general have struggled to define forever. I don't believe that there is any one particular belief of ethics that is inherently more true or correct than the rest as the blogger implies, but rather ethics are dependent upon circumstances and values.
I personally think that ethics is somewhat influenced by situations such as you wouldn't punish a 5 year old for stealing a candy bar as well their 5 and how are they supposed to know what to do and its candy 5 year olds love candy. In conclusion is it ethical for them to steal no; should they receive a fine no as they are just five and they don't know better; should they get punished yes, but in that they are told of their wrong doing and the bar is returned or is paid for by the parents.
I definitely take a subjective view on the ethical and moral nature of actions and beliefs, which is why I partially disagree with the first of the true or false questions. I think an action is classified as moral or immoral based on the nature of the situation, and in this case personal judgement is necessary to be able to decide for ones self what the right thing to do is. Although there are people who do unethical things they feel are justifiable, it is still imperative that people use their own judgement to determine what the moral course of action is, depending on the situation. This type of personal judgement requires a person to make decisions based on what they feel is the right thing to do.
I agree somewhat with all that has been said. However, I believe that ethics can be influenced by where you live and that they are ever changing. What may be considered ethical in the United States may not be considered ethical in Romania. Furthermore, what we may consider ethical today may not appear ethical in the future.
I agree with a majority of this. Each person is brought into this world the same way but we all grow up with different morals causing us to act accordingly. The beliefs we grow content with become a motherboard of our actions and decisions.
Ethical behavior is entirely subjective, so there's no reason to try to believe that ethical behavior can be judged objectively. People often do unethical things when they're going based on their feelings, yes, but it's not something to just throw away as inadequate. People have different reasons for doing the things they do, so it's best, at least for me, to judge morals based on the result, rather than the decision of things.
I agree with most of this blog, however, I also believe that ethics are a very subjective topic. Something that we see as ethically right now may be seen as unethical in the future. Ethics are opinionated and there are many different perspectives on what is ethically acceptable based on each person's morals and background. As a result, ethics change frequently.
I agree withe the statements. If you strongly believe that what you are doing is good dosent mean that it is ethical. there are many extreamist groups out there that think that what they are doing is the right thing to do but in reality it is vary unethical.
I tend to take the Aristotelian view of ethics meaning that I believe truth is completely objective. I believe that ethics should follow in this path as well. Though people may disagree about what is "ethical", their disagreement does not necessarily mandate that the truly ethical thing can be subjectively determined.
I have an objective view from what I can see, no matter my religion or values or beliefs I know that certain things are unethical regardless of those things, and some things are moral regardless of any of those factors. I just look at the things that apply to all of the people factored in and all the possible situations. It would be unethical in my opinion to not go about doing things this way in my own personal opinion.
I think that all of the statements are so debatable that they can be argued to be both true and false. People are going to always say that what they do is justified, because as humans we are self-loving creatures. We will find any available reasons to relieve guilt from ourselves, whether that reason be religion or the law.
I definitely agree with the statements above. Ethics differentiate with each person and their beliefs and emotions because of this, when one ethnic code is places for everybody, each individual will always find their own shades of gray. You could argue that in the name of religion something will always be ethical, but I have to disagree. If we look at our history we will find hundreds of examples of people doing horrible inhuman things in the name of their religion. During that time society would want you to believe that it was for the greater good and these practices were wildly accepted, but does that make it ethical? My answer would be no, with every person having a different moral compass there will always be a different "ethnic code" no matter what law, religious view, or societal thought they perceive to be true.
I personally don't agree with the argument presented. I believe that ethics are truly only in the eye of the beholder. To try and claim that some blanket form of morality encompasses all of humanity is silly, and is demonstrably false thanks to the thousands of different cultures and ethical guidelines that have existed throughout human history. It is my belief that ethics are a strictly personal matter, and can vary wildly from individual to individual, so in a sense I believe that the first statement is true.
I believe ethics are always changing. I like the first part of the blog where it explains to you that the true and false section is completely false. I think it brings light to where people think they may be ethical or moral, but they are letting their own wants and desires (ethical or not) get in the way of their actions.
I think what people believe to be ethical or not is subjective. Everyone has their own opinion with different background experiences. What some people find ethical, others do not. To pin down what is ethical is impossible. Unlike what some people hope, the decision of whether something is ethical or not is grey area. We cannot pin it down in black or white. It's something mixed altogether that is used by people to justify their actions.
I don't agree that all the first 5 statements are false. Ethics is based on morals and morals are what you believe is wrong or right it's based on the person. I may feel that if my religion tells me to do something it is ethical but someone else may say that if they have a gut feeling about something then it is ethical. Morals and values are different for different people and you can't tell people what to think.
I agree with this. I agree in that some people do unethical things but that they believe that they are morally doing the right thing, which may lead to questioning someones judgement on ethics. The definition of ethics is "rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad." If you believe you are doing something good, then that may be ethical to you but not everyone else. Being ethical has a lot to do with your morals and beliefs.
Ethics, while maybe not subjective in itself, is subjective to view. The ethics behind how we feel in a particular moment, the cultural influence of religion, the legal situation, and the general culture at the moment can all play a larger role in determining ethical values than is given credit to. While they should not be the sole indicator of what is right, they can be used to see what is generally wrong. In the end, however, as long as the intent behind the action is beneficial and good and the means are that which are universally acceptable, then the action can be truly deemed as ethical.
I don't think a universal umbrella moral criteria will ever be developed. I think ethical dilemmas should be taken case by case and analyzed independently.
I agree strongly with statements 1 and 3.Ethics is based on the source or who is determining whether something is moral so everything is sometimes ethical and sometimes not. Ethics are opinions and can't always be proven.I agree with the point and fact that ethical and unethical actions are based off of good or bad behavior, deeds, but most definitely not on Religious beliefs. Everyone has a certain religious belief
I agree that if you take a subjective view, you are more likely to have a positive outcome for each particular circumstance. I disagree with an objective view because all of the standards(like lying and revealing secrets) are not considered unethical in all situations. What if you lie because you do not want to hurt someone's feelings? Or what if you did not reveal a secret, and someone gets hurt? These questions make me doubt the integrity of the standards and how they should be used in certain circumstances. When I look at the statements, I feel the same way. If you view the statements objectively, the action and consequence might be bad even if you feel you are doing the right thing. I believe if you view every situation as unique and if you face it with strong morals, then your outcome will most likely be positive. Like some of the other comments, I agree with statement five. The behavior is ethical, and the effect of the behavior is beneficial. If the positive action does not produce a negative outcome, then I believe the action is ethical.
I completely agree with everything that is stated. Originally I answer true to the question at the beginning stating that a decision is generally ethical if it follows the guidelines of my religious beliefs, but the article made it clear to me that there are many different religions, and all of them have different beliefs of what is morally correct or not. As the author stated, looking at a daily newspaper can prove how just because an action is consistent with someone's religious beliefs, it does not make it an ethical action. I answered false to all of the other questions, but I did not really know why. However, the author proved why each one was not true with such reasoning that it completly makes sense to me why each one would be false. I really enjoyed this article and it truly made me think about what makes a decision ethical or not.
Well I like how they are using what people like to think of when people justify if an action is ethic. To me if someone looks at each part that influences a choice of right or wrong they are going to do the human thing and consider every aspect of it and not just base what they do off of is it legal, or consistent with their religious beliefs, or if they think its the right thing, or what other people think of that disigen, or how much better it dose then bad. People take all of that and deside what is important first most times without thinking about it. Some times people have weigh what moral value is more import. Ex. some people have a conflict with their religion and their medical care.
Ive learned that being ethical isn't always what you or others feel is ethical. This is because everyone has a different mind set and way they were raised to view what is ethical and what isn't. For me personally my ethics come from my religious back ground and how i personally feel about my behavior. Even though someone may challenge my ethical thinking as long as i believe that its ethical i don't care what they think, this could be a problem. If we all keep gourmand open on others beliefs on ethics then i this we can all have a bigger range of whats good and whats bad and eventually become a better person from that.
This post taught me that determining whether a behavior is ethical is not only determined by what I think, what the people around me think, what religion says, what the law says, or what effect the behavior has; it is determined by a combination of all of these. I agree with this notion because I feel that a combination of these are needed to accurately judge many behaviors to see if they are ethical or not. I feel that most things and behaviors are not black and white, but gray, which means that there is room for interpretation. I feel that subjective ethics is the most useful guideline to judge an action for its ethics, because it takes into account many different factors like environment, culture, character of the people involved, and the action itself.
I'm a christian, and I believe that my religion guides me to what is ethical and unethical. The Lord's commands lay out for all of my do's and dont's. I understand that people will not agree with me because there are many different religions. We all as individuals have different perspectives as to what's is right and to what is wrong. If we were all the same, the world would be one boring place.
I think this was an extremely interesting and intriguing blog to read because it challenges a lot of ideas and questions I have come across during my research on moral and immoral ethics. After reading it I agree with the author in the way they are seeing things, and find it helpful that with the true or false statements in the beginning, they offered an example to help the audience understand why each statement was false.
I would agree that the 5 examples are all unethical. What is hard about ethics in this day and age is that everyone is so sensitive and entitled that everything would be considered unethical is someones eyes. Some times you have to plant evidence to catch a serial killer and sometimes you have to waterboard a terrorist to find where a bomb is planted.
A lot of these questions are very situational. Can my behavior be ethical and legal, yes, but can my behavior also be unethical and legal, yes. All of the statements don't define ethical behavior, but they can be true in different circumstances. They can make up ethical a decision and can define a decision unethical. The statements are correct at being false, but can also make or break the ethics of a decision.
I appreciate that the blog recognized that many people subscribing to an idea doesn't make it right. If we've learned anything from history it's that in times of stress, people will blindly follow corrupt leaders believing it is for the greater good. In the current state of the US it's important to remember that despite how many people may subscribe to a set of immoral ideals, that ideal can be unjust and unethical.
I agree with what was said for the most part. I believe that weather or not something is ethical should be decided based on the situation. Not necessarily based off of culture or religion, but by means of not just the actions themselves, but the circumstances in which the acts are taking place.
I agree with some of the statements made, but not all. There are so many different cultures in the world. What seems ethical to one group may not follow another groups belief.
I agree that the five statements above are false, because they all are basing ethical reasoning on things that are inconsistent throughout the world, such as religion, laws, and what's in someone's heart. People are raised differently everywhere under different rules and parents, so everyone has different thoughts and may all think their actions are justified when they are not. Also, religion has very different beliefs when you cross religions or move to another one, and these may not always be ethical, as not everyone follows the same religion. Laws also differ in many countries, and just because something is legal in one area, it may be illegal in another.
I agree that the first statement is false because just because you feel it's right in your heart doesn't mean it is. I disagree with the second statement being false because if I didn't believe my religion to be ethical, I wouldn't be the religion that I am. I agree that the third statement is false because there are many things that are legal that I would consider extremely unethical, such as abortion. I definitely agree with the fourth statement being false because popular opinion does not guarantee it is ethical. It is difficult to say whether I disagree of or agree with statement five because it honestly depends on the situation.
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