Ethics refer to the values that guide a person, organization or society - - the difference between right and wrong, fairness and unfairness, honesty and dishonesty.
I was born in the late 1950s and spent my childhood in the 1960s and teen years in the 1970s. My upbringing was shaped very much, by how I was taught and raised. My parents were both members of a conservative religious organization and so with that said I learned this way of thought. We were raised to believe that the 10 commandments were the basis of all things right and wrong, that if we followed them our lives would be as God wanted. Not to mention our parents! As a child, we first believe all that our parents teach us. They are like God to us and must be right no questions asked. I had by then
Today, we live in a plural moral society. Moral pluralism suggests that everyone pursues their own ethical code and so the concepts of right and wrong must be relative and subjective. Plural societies
Morality is a person’s natural distinction between right and wrong and dependent on “doing the right thing for the right reason” (Justice, 111). We can not effectively pass laws that apply equally to each individual if they have a different perspective of right versus wrong.
From the moment we arrive in this world our personalities and the way we generate behaviors are shaped by the culture surrounding us. All cultures and societies have ethical and moral systems that affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. The term ethic “derived from the Greek ethos which can mean custom, habitat, character or disposition” (Ethics: a general introduction, BBC News) is used to define “right and wrong” behaviors. We find ourselves trapped in ethical and moral situations every day, where the sense of what is the real “right” thing to do is not always obvious, this leading us to the uncertainty when making decisions and reassessment of the consequences of our actions. So is the case of the
Ethics are constantly regarded as the moral principles that influence a person’s behavior. Ethics are concerned with distinguishing between good and evil and is a concept that persuades people to act in the most positive way. Each society has created their own ethics where everyone is expected to follow certain values. Deviance from each established ethics system is met with social cost that regards deviating from the established norms as morally corrupt and potentially can be justified actions that will have them return to the system or leave society. Ethics can be societally agreed upon, to the point in which all individuals that belong to that society agree that such values are true. Part of our innate urge to be accepted by society not
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with values concerning human conduct. These values help cultures determine what actions are appropriate and inappropriate and which motives of such actions are good or bad. Ethical values help humans decipher correct ways to handle problems. Boyd (2005) suggests moral problems are an interpretation of events viewed from a perspective that history and tradition have helped to shape. Perception plays a large role in ethical issues today. The way a culture
On one hand people accept that there are universal moral principles that are normal in every culture. But, on the other hand people feel that cultural differences should be looked upon with sensitivity and tolerance (Bock, 2014). You can look at such cultural and perhaps religious differences as circumcision in both men and women (Bock, 2014). In the U.S. you can abortions as an example of moral and religious choice but in other countries they feel it is morally and ethically correct to kill female babies when they are born (Bock,
Since the moment we were born, our minds have been absorbing information and relaying that information into choices that subsequently dictate our life. Out of these choices, we face the dilemma of personal gain versus morality. It is in the best interests of all humanity that each individual shares similar values, such as trust, compassion, loyalty, and a desire for communal progress. When individuals share such values, it allows a society to build upon the accomplishments of its people and fight natural obstacles that are intrinsic to our world (predators, famine, illnesses, etc.). It has been taught in our contemporary culture, by the morals instilled into us by our parents and peers,
Humans’ emotions are very complex. It is hard to tell others when people do moral, they ways are true and wrong. The behaviors that humans appear are also influenced by their values. And their values are influenced by many aspects. Such as cultures and religions. Thus, when humans know that we need to think things in moral ways, the ways that to be moral are different. As the Dalai Lama mentions in his essay called “Ethics and the New Genetics,” the ways to close to the moral thinking need to follow humans inner emotions. However, humans emotions are such a complex thing. Because everyone has his/her own values, when they talked to others, humans are easily to be confused by others’ values. To be moral is
In the world, there are what seems like an infinite number of various peoples, cultures, and ideologies. One does not need to go far to find a person who has a different opinion from one’s self. Within these different societies, are different ways of thinking, and, of course, different values of what is acceptable (ethical) in each community. Western culture, for example, heavily promotes the idea of freedom of choice for an individual. The classic saying of the “American Way” truly personifies how many people in the U.S. and Europe believe that the freedom to be and do whatever we want is an essential part of humanity. With the ability to make so many decisions, however, humanity is left asking what decisions are right or wrong.
Newsstands proclaim it. Talk shows trumpet it. Scandal, murder, and deception! People share a common disdain for these evils, scorning those who commit the dirty deeds. Laws are upheld to prevent people from doing “bad” things, but how do people come to an agreement on what is truly wrong? Even as society moves away from traditional teachings and perspectives, many acts are still universally looked down upon. Throughout history, the majority of civilizations have held surprisingly similar moral ideals regarding acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Although moral relativists believe that morality is individually determined, there is, in fact, an objective moral standard that governs all humanity, because a sense of right and wrong is universal, transcends time and culture, and is evident in the majority of people.
Many people tend to equate ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is clearly not a matter of followings one’s feelings. Ethics, however, cannot be confined to religion nor is it the same as religion. Being ethical is not the same as following the law. The law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. Finally, being ethical is not the same as doing “whatever society accepts.” In any society, most people accept standards that are ethical. But standards of behaviour in society can deviate from what is ethical. An entire society can become ethically corrupt. Nazi Germany is good example of a morally corrupt society. What then, is
What is Ethics? In Webster dictionary website define ethic is an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior: a branch of philosophy dealing with what is morally right or wrong. We have ethical training in the military to create a universal standard of behavior because morals are so variable and linked to religious belief. They cannot tell people what religious behaviors to have but they can create a universal ethical guidance. Many people might think of ethic is common sense and may not take it seriously. Sometimes we need the reinforcement like the ethic training to illustrate what is right and wrong look like, and hope people will do the right thing intuitively. I believe everyone has their own ethical
When we say or do something we usually encounter a question of whether or not the thing we did was the right thing to do or the wrong thing. When we take a look at how we decide if it was the correct or wrong action we take a lot into perspective. Our judgment of how we classify them is not the same for everyone, but what makes them different? How do we decide if the things we do are right or wrong? There can be a lot of different variables that we can take into effect on our judgment. Perhaps its how we were taught in our preadolescent age or as we are babies. It could be the way we were raised that can have an effect on our judgment, but there are more aspects that can alter our classification of right and wrong. Could the culture we have been raised in have an effect on what we think. The people around us who have similar perspectives that we share. Religion could have an impact on how we think and how we treat others but could it create a situation that alters what we think is right and wrong? There are many aspects that could change what we see as right and wrong that maybe its our morals and ethics that we pick up on our own. Whatever it can be that alters our judgment it is universal that not every action that is done will be accepted by everyone but what makes this interesting is how we get to that conclusion of what you do is seen as right or wrong.