Simply stated, ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human bei
ID: 3868847 • Letter: S
Question
Simply stated, ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves-as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on.
It is helpful to identify what ethics is NOT:
Ethics is not the same as feelings. Feelings provide important information for our ethical choices. Some people have highly developed habits that make them feel bad when they do something wrong, but many people feel good even though they are doing something wrong. And often our feelings will tell us it is uncomfortable to do the right thing if it is hard.
Ethics is not religion. Many people are not religious, but ethics applies to everyone. Most religions do advocate high ethical standards but sometimes do not address all the types of problems we face.
Ethics is not following the law. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical. Law can become ethically corrupt, as some totalitarian regimes have made it. Law can be a function of power alone and designed to serve the interests of narrow groups. Law may have a difficult time designing or enforcing standards in some important areas, and may be slow to address new problems.
Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms. Some cultures are quite ethical, but others become corrupt -or blind to certain ethical concerns (as the United States was to slavery before the Civil War). "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is not a satisfactory ethical standard.
Ethics is not science. Social and natural science can provide important data to help us make better ethical choices. But science alone does not tell us what we ought to do. Science may provide an explanation for what humans are like. But ethics provides reasons for how humans ought to act. And just because something is scientifically or technologically possible, it may not be ethical to do it.
Why Identifying Ethical Standards is Hard
There are two fundamental problems in identifying the ethical standards we are to follow:
On what do we base our ethical standards?
How do those standards get applied to specific situations we face?
If our ethics are not based on feelings, religion, law, accepted social practice, or science, what are they based on? Many philosophers and ethicists have helped us answer this critical question. They have suggested at least five different sources of ethical standards we should use.
Five Sources of Ethical Standards
The Utilitarian Approach
Some ethicists emphasize that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. The ethical corporate action, then, is the one that produces the greatest good and does the least harm for all who are affected-customers, employees, shareholders, the community, and the environment. Ethical warfare balances the good achieved in ending terrorism with the harm done to all parties through death, injuries, and destruction. The utilitarian approach deals with consequences; it tries both to increase the good done and to reduce the harm done.
The Rights Approach
Other philosophers and ethicists suggest that the ethical action is the one that best protects and respects the moral rights of those affected. This approach starts from the belief that humans have a dignity based on their human nature per se or on their ability to choose freely what they do with their lives. On the basis of such dignity, they have a right to be treated as ends and not merely as means to other ends. The list of moral rights -including the rights to make one's own choices about what kind of life to lead, to be told the truth, not to be injured, to a degree of privacy, and so on-is widely debated; some now argue that non-humans have rights, too. Also, it is often said that rights imply duties-in particular, the duty to respect others' rights.
The Fairness or Justice Approach
Aristotle and other Greek philosophers have contributed the idea that all equals should be treated equally. Today we use this idea to say that ethical actions treat all human beings equally-or if unequally, then fairly based on some standard that is defensible. We pay people more based on their harder work or the greater amount that they contribute to an organization, and say that is fair. But there is a debate over CEO salaries that are hundreds of times larger than the pay of others; many ask whether the huge disparity is based on a defensible standard or whether it is the result of an imbalance of power and hence is unfair.
The Common Good Approach
The Greek philosophers have also contributed the notion that life in community is a good in itself and our actions should contribute to that life. This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others-especially the vulnerable-are requirements of such reasoning. This approach also calls attention to the common conditions that are important to the welfare of everyone. This may be a system of laws, effective police and fire departments, health care, a public educational system, or even public recreational areas.
The Virtue Approach
A very ancient approach to ethics is that ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain ideal virtues that provide for the full development of our humanity. These virtues are dispositions and habits that enable us to act according to the highest potential of our character and on behalf of values like truth and beauty. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, tolerance, love, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues. Virtue ethics asks of any action, "What kind of person will I become if I do this?" or "Is this action consistent with my acting at my best?"
Putting the Approaches Together
Each of the approaches helps us determine what standards of behavior can be considered ethical. There are still problems to be solved, however.
The first problem is that we may not agree on the content of some of these specific approaches. We may not all agree to the same set of human and civil rights.
We may not agree on what constitutes the common good. We may not even agree on what is a good and what is a harm.
The second problem is that the different approaches may not all answer the question "What is ethical?" in the same way. Nonetheless, each approach gives us important information with which to determine what is ethical in a particular circumstance. And much more often than not, the different approaches do lead to similar answers.
Making Decisions
Making good ethical decisions requires a trained sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that should impact our choice of a course of action. Having a method for ethical decision making is absolutely essential. When practiced regularly, the method becomes so familiar that we work through it automatically without consulting the specific steps.
The more novel and difficult the ethical choice we face, the more we need to rely on discussion and dialogue with others about the dilemma. Only by careful exploration of the problem, aided by the insights and different perspectives of others, can we make good ethical choices in such situations.
We have found the following framework for ethical decision making a useful method for exploring ethical dilemmas and identifying ethical courses of action.
A Framework for Ethical Decision Making
Recognize an Ethical Issue
Could this decision or situation be damaging to someone or to some group? Does this decision involve a choice between a good and bad alternative, or perhaps between two "goods" or between two "bads"?
Is this issue about more than what is legal or what is most efficient? If so, how?
Get the Facts
What are the relevant facts of the case? What facts are not known? Can I learn more about the situation? Do I know enough to make a decision?
What individuals and groups have an important stake in the outcome? Are some concerns more important? Why?
What are the options for acting? Have all the relevant persons and groups been consulted? Have I identified creative options?
Evaluate Alternative Actions
Evaluate the options by asking the following questions:
Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm? (The Utilitarian Approach)
Which option best respects the rights of all who have a stake? (The Rights Approach)
Which option treats people equally or proportionately? (The Justice Approach)
Which option best serves the community
as a whole, not just some members?
(The Common Good Approach)
Which option leads me to act as the sort of person I want to be? (The Virtue Approach)
Make a Decision and Test It
Considering all these approaches, which option best addresses the situation?
If I told someone I respect-or told a television audience-which option I have chosen, what would they say?
Act and Reflect on the Outcome
How can my decision be implemented with the greatest care and attention to the concerns of all stakeholders?
How did my decision turn out and what have I learned from this specific situation?
Please write synopsis for this article and good grammar
Explanation / Answer
TITLE
Ethics
INTRODUCTION
An ethic is one’s moral principle that decides what is good or bad. Some situation is ethically wrong for some persons and ethically right for others. This term ‘Ethics’ is derived from Greek word ethos that means habit or character. Ethics basically tells about one’s character or habit in life. It impacts one’s decision in life which he carries forward in his action throughout. Ethics are very important in one life for deciding what is good or bad morally. This ethic’s makes one person good or bad character in society. Ethics is not any law or any religion. It is not even any science or following any culture.
OBJECTIVE
This article explains briefly about ethic and its relevance, uses and purpose in our life and society. It also explains sources of Ethical Standards. The importance of ethics in one’s life.
HYPOTHESIS
Ethics is a code of conduct followed by an individual in order to live his path of life following that. One’s Ethics is the determined by tending nature of one towards his or her true nature. Example, if a human’s true nature is toward truthful and righteousness, then he will always follow it along his path of life. If the balance of ethics nearby truthful individual is disturbed, then he will always fight for the good and truth among his environment in order to establish the truthfulness around him. Similar methodology but in his own way will be adopted by the person who has wrong ideologies adopted for his true nature.
METHODOLOGICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Sources of Ethical Standards
1) The Utilitarian Approach
This approach emphasizes on increasing good and reducing bad done. Like in ethical corporate, that deals with more good done and produces least harm like their employees, stakeholders, customers and environment. This approach basically handles consequences and tries to increase good over harm.
2) The Rights Approach
This approach deals with human dignity and has freedom to live their life on their terms. They have right to do the things they want to do in their lives and have right to live what type of life they want in future. They can make choices and decide what is right for them.
3) The Fairness or Justice Approach
This belongs to idea that all should be treated equally. Like if a person works harder or contributes more towards the organization then he should be paid accordingly. But there are some imbalances like salaries of people at higher position in organization.
4) The Common Good Approach
This approach deals with community life and our contributions towards it. It tells that society relationships lead to ethical reasoning.
5) The Virtue Approach
This is very old approach that leads to the development of humanity. These are our habits that lead to behave accordingly in a situation and develop our character in the society. Some examples are honesty, tolerance, courage, love etc. This depends on our action in any situation.
DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT:
Facts collection of Ethics can be performed by actions carried over by a human to another human, either he is boy, an adult, a teacher, doctor, engineer, or any profession individual. Observation is the right instrument which enables us to determine one’s true nature, which acts as measuring instrument to measure ethics.
For Example, if a doctor’s true nature is truthfulness and righteousness, then he will serve himself to the community and his environment in order to cure them of whatever diseases or ailments are lurking all over in front of him. For a thief, whose true nature is to steal and rob people, he will only work for making his living by robing and terrorizing people. For a scientist, whose true nature, if is truthfulness, then he will serve his experiments in order to give the world a better future by his experiments. But if his true nature is a wrong and mischief, then he will implement all his knowledge and wits in order to bring chaos and downfall the economy and bring harmony within the world to end by his experiments.
As a conclusion observing someone will only give us the ability to measure someone’s code of conduct, to measure someone’s ethics.