What is Ethics? - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics - Santa ...

Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, ... WhatisEthics? HomeMarkkulaCenterforAppliedEthicsEthicsResourcesEthicalDecisionMakingWhatisEthics? ManuelVelasquez,ClaireAndre,ThomasShanks,S.J.,andMichaelJ.Meyer Ethicsisbasedonwell-foundedstandardsofrightandwrongthatprescribewhathumansoughttodo,usuallyintermsofrights,obligations,benefitstosociety,fairness,orspecificvirtues. Someyearsago,sociologistRaymondBaumhartaskedbusinesspeople,"Whatdoesethicsmeantoyou?"Amongtheirreplieswerethefollowing: "Ethicshastodowithwhatmyfeelingstellmeisrightorwrong.""Ethicshastodowithmyreligiousbeliefs.""Beingethicalisdoingwhatthelawrequires.""Ethicsconsistsofthestandardsofbehavioroursocietyaccepts.""Idon'tknowwhatthewordmeans." Theserepliesmightbetypicalofourown.Themeaningof"ethics"ishardtopindown,andtheviewsmanypeoplehaveaboutethicsareshaky. LikeBaumhart'sfirstrespondent,manypeopletendtoequateethicswiththeirfeelings.Butbeingethicalisclearlynotamatteroffollowingone'sfeelings.Apersonfollowinghisorherfeelingsmayrecoilfromdoingwhatisright.Infact,feelingsfrequentlydeviatefromwhatisethical. Norshouldoneidentifyethicswithreligion.Mostreligions,ofcourse,advocatehighethicalstandards.Yetifethicswereconfinedtoreligion,thenethicswouldapplyonlytoreligiouspeople.Butethicsappliesasmuchtothebehavioroftheatheistastothatofthedevoutreligiousperson.Religioncansethighethicalstandardsandcanprovideintensemotivationsforethicalbehavior.Ethics,however,cannotbeconfinedtoreligionnorisitthesameasreligion. Beingethicalisalsonotthesameasfollowingthelaw.Thelawoftenincorporatesethicalstandardstowhichmostcitizenssubscribe.Butlaws,likefeelings,candeviatefromwhatisethical.Ourownpre-CivilWarslaverylawsandtheoldapartheidlawsofpresent-daySouthAfricaaregrotesquelyobviousexamplesoflawsthatdeviatefromwhatisethical. Finally,beingethicalisnotthesameasdoing"whateversocietyaccepts."Inanysociety,mostpeopleacceptstandardsthatare,infact,ethical.Butstandardsofbehaviorinsocietycandeviatefromwhatisethical.Anentiresocietycanbecomeethicallycorrupt.NaziGermanyisagoodexampleofamorallycorruptsociety. Moreover,ifbeingethicalweredoing"whateversocietyaccepts,"thentofindoutwhatisethical,onewouldhavetofindoutwhatsocietyaccepts.TodecidewhatIshouldthinkaboutabortion,forexample,IwouldhavetotakeasurveyofAmericansocietyandthenconformmybeliefstowhateversocietyaccepts.Butnooneevertriestodecideanethicalissuebydoingasurvey.Further,thelackofsocialconsensusonmanyissuesmakesitimpossibletoequateethicswithwhateversocietyaccepts.Somepeopleacceptabortionbutmanyothersdonot.Ifbeingethicalweredoingwhateversocietyaccepts,onewouldhavetofindanagreementonissueswhichdoesnot,infact,exist. What,then,isethics?Ethicsistwothings.First,ethicsreferstowell-foundedstandardsofrightandwrongthatprescribewhathumansoughttodo,usuallyintermsofrights,obligations,benefitstosociety,fairness,orspecificvirtues.Ethics,forexample,referstothosestandardsthatimposethereasonableobligationstorefrainfromrape,stealing,murder,assault,slander,andfraud.Ethicalstandardsalsoincludethosethatenjoinvirtuesofhonesty,compassion,andloyalty.And,ethicalstandardsincludestandardsrelatingtorights,suchastherighttolife,therighttofreedomfrominjury,andtherighttoprivacy.Suchstandardsareadequatestandardsofethicsbecausetheyaresupportedbyconsistentandwell-foundedreasons. Secondly,ethicsreferstothestudyanddevelopmentofone'sethicalstandards.Asmentionedabove,feelings,laws,andsocialnormscandeviatefromwhatisethical.Soitisnecessarytoconstantlyexamineone'sstandardstoensurethattheyarereasonableandwell-founded.Ethicsalsomeans,then,thecontinuouseffortofstudyingourownmoralbeliefsandourmoralconduct,andstrivingtoensurethatwe,andtheinstitutionswehelptoshape,liveuptostandardsthatarereasonableandsolidly-based. Thisarticleappearedoriginallyin IssuesinEthics IIEV1N1(Fall1987). Revisedin2010. Jan1,2010 TryOurEthicsApp EthicsResourcesSections EthicsResources EthicsResourcesUsingThisSiteAFrameworkforEthicalDecisionMakingEthicalDecisionMakingEthicsArticlesEthicsBlogsEthicsCasesEthicsCurriculaEthicsLinksEthicsPodcastsEthicsSpotlightEthicsVideosEthicsApp