Ethics How do we decide?

Ethics Are… Standards of behavior for how we should act as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on Identification of correct approaches/actions within a moral framework Often uses morality as a guide for determining right action Not all ethics are questions of morality

Ethics vs. Morals Principles of right or wrong, good and bad The rules of conduct recognized by a group or culture Tends to be consistent within a certain context Strictly following Ethical Principles may not have any Morals attached at all Could violate Ethical Principles in order to maintain Moral integrity Principles of right or wrong, good and bad Morality is ultimately a compass of determining right and wrong

Ethics Are Not… Ethics is not the same as feelings Some individual feel badly when they act unethically, some don’t Ethics is not science cloning Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms Some cultural practices are harmful and oppressive Ethics is not following the law Not all legal systems are founded upon Ethical principals Ethics is not religion Many people are not religious but ethics still applies to them

Morality as a Source of Ethical Standards The Utilitarian Approach Action should do the most good and minimize harm Ending terrorism at the cost of some death and destruction The Virtue Approach Action fulfills a purpose to what your societal role is How does this decision represent who I am? Hippocratic oath doctors take – act in a way that does not harm the patient

The Fairness or Justice Approach Ethical decisions should be made based on what is fair and just Individuals should be paid more for more work, so why are many CEO’s paid hundreds of time more that their hard working employees? The Common Good Approach Act in a way that benefits the community over the individual The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few

We also have the duty to respect others rights The Rights Approach Individuals have certain inherent rights; they are important and valuable not mere cogs in a machine We also have the duty to respect others rights So ethical decision must consider the rights of the individual

Difficulty with the Approaches 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 different approaches may not all answer the question "What is ethical?" in the same way