What are ETHICS? • A set of moral principles: theory of moral values • Principles of conduct governing an individual or a group • Professional ethics in plural form: the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. (Merriam-Webster) EDITED BY CHUCK MORRIS Questions to guide you There is no ready-made way to deal with ethical challenges. They require us to respond to specific circumstances and relationships as well as the various ethical considerations – purpose, values, and principles – at play. Still, there are a few questions you can ask that can help crystalize the ethical issues for you.
1. W ould I be happy for this decision to be headlining the news tomorrow? What are ethics?
human rights, and professional con-
At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. Ethics are concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy. The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character, or disposition.
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Ethics covers the following dilemmas: • How to live a good life • Our rights and responsibilities • The language of right and wrong • Moral decisions - what is good and bad? Our concepts of ethics have been derived from religions, philosophies, and cultures, and they infuse debates on topics such as abortion, 52
Ops Talk • Spring 2022
Approach to ethics Philosophers nowadays tend to divide ethical theories into three areas: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. • Meta-ethics deals with the nature of moral judgement. It looks at the origins and meaning of ethical principles. • Normative ethics is concerned with the content of moral judgements and the criteria for what is right or wrong. • Applied ethics looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights, and capital punishment. (Credit: BBC)
This is known as the Sunlight Test. Imagine if your decision – and the reasons you made it – were public knowledge. What if the people you most admire knew what you’d done and why? Do you think you’d be able to defend yourself? Would other people agree, or at least understand, why you did what you did? Note – it’s the ‘don’t be ashamed’ test not the ‘don’t get caught’ test.
2. Is there an ethical nonnegotiable at play? Is there a rule that any reasonable person should apply to this situation regardless of the consequences? Some rules are unbreakable, even when the stakes are high. For instance, we should never act in ways that undermine the equality and dignity of all people – ourselves included. The rules are often asso-
