Ethics is about making choices that may not always feel good or
may not seem beneficial to you but are the right choices to make. They are the
choices that make "model citizens" and examples of the golden rules.
We've all heard about the golden rules: Don't hurt, don't steal, don't lie, or
the most famous aphorism of Confucius. "Do unto others what you don't want
others do unto you." These are not just catchy phrases; these are words of
wisdom that any productive member of society should strive to live by.
In our personal lives, most
people try to do the golden rules. Ethics are thought of by many people as
something that is related to the private side of life and not to the business
side. In many businesses, having ethics is frowned upon or thought of as a negative
subject. This is because business is usually about doing what's profitable, not
about what's really the right thing to do.
Many people tend to disregard
ethics specially politicians in many cases. Money or monetary gain can
influence people to do unethical things either in the workplace or in everyday
life. In the words of Benjamin Franklin "nothing in this world is sweeter
than honey but money".
Ethics can also be defined as
beliefs that distinguish right from wrong. These beliefs are normally passed
down from the family to help you make the right decisions when the need arises.
Morals are also on the same line as ethics when talking about doing the right
thing. People's morals can be totally different but should follow the same
overall pattern in determining right from wrong. Ethics and ethical principles
extend to all spheres of human activity. They apply to our dealings with each
other, with animals and the environment. They should govern our interactions
not only in conducting research but also in commerce, employment and politics.
Ethics serve to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct and provide
reasons for those conclusions.
When most people think of
ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and
wrong, such as the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you), a code of professional conduct like the Hippocratic Oath (“First of all,
do no harm”), a religious creed like the Ten Commandments (“Thou Shalt not
kill…”), or wise aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius.
Most people learn ethical
norms at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. Although most
people acquire their sense of right and wrong during childhood, moral
development occurs throughout life and human beings pass through different
stages of growth as they mature. Ethical norms are so ubiquitous that one might
be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality
is nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes
and issues in our society? It is because the common sense is on uncommon. One
plausible explanation of these disagreements is that all people recognize some
common ethical norms but different individuals interpret, apply, and balance
these norms in different ways in light of their own values and life
experiences. (Gervin F. Bumanglag;
Alvincent S. Siena; Ted Peter A. Pagba; Sevie Valencia; Angelo A. Taylan)
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