What is Ethics

Isirinda Ina Kapxhiu February 6, 2013 Philosophy 108 What is Ethics? Ethics is a broad term used to describe what humans should do based on rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, specific virtues, and the consequences of actions. The concept of ethics is conceptualized differently based on an individual’s beliefs, norms, values, morals, and cultural background. Ethical behavior is based on moral codes, which are implemented in laws, religion, and social norms. However, it is a broad term that can be interpreted in various ways depending on the situation. According to Louis Pojman, the concept of ethics is described three divisions, such as descriptive morality, moral philosophy, and applied ethics. Descriptive morality refers to beliefs, customs, and principles of what is considered to be right, wrong, and permissible. Moral philosophy is an ethical theory that analyzes the moral concepts and principles. Applied ethics is concerned with the controversial moral problems such as abortion, gay rights, and environmental issues. Although law, religion, feelings, and social values tend to follow moral codes, they do not define the concept of ethics. Being ethical does not necessarily mean following the law, because law does not always justify what is ethical. Being religious does not always indicate ethical behavior. Ethics applies to the behavior of every individual whether they are religious or not. Although individuals tend to associate their feelings and instincts with ethics, a person’s feelings frequently stray from what is ethical. Social values can also defer from ethics because in certain behaviors that are acceptable in a social group can be considered unethical (Velasquez). Ethics are the decisions we make that do not have a negative impact on external factors based on our level of knowledge. It is what we should do based on the consequences of our actions. Our moral principles have a large influence on our ethical actions. Morality refers to the rules that encourage human good and the good of our environmental surroundings. Every decision we make, either minor or large, has an impact on our surroundings as well as the environment. The people we encounter are influenced by our actions on a daily basis. The more educated and aware we become of our environment, the more environmentally cautious we become. Ethics is not a universal term that is established by one individual, it is created through knowledge, and experience over time. Certain aspects that were considered ethical centuries ago are not considered ethical in modern days. Consequently, the environment we live and our personal and cultural background influence our perception of what we consider to be ethical and moral. Ethics is created throughout time and have changed based on historic consequences. The more educated humans become the more we discover that certain actions we take can be harmful to external factors in the world. Being ethical consists of not making selfish decisions and taking external factors and consequences into consideration. Sources Pojman, Louis P. and Fieser, James. “Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong,” Cengage Advantage Books. 2011. Velasquez, Manuel, and Andre, Claire. “What is Ethics,” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Santa Clara University. Revised 2010. Retreived Feb 5, 2013. < http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html >