Ethics

Ethics is a branch of philosophy, known as moral philosophy, which studies the aspects of morality such as good and bad, right and wrong, justice and virtue. Ethics is one of the most important phenomenons of an individuals life as it shapes hisher personality and character. All of us believe in some ethical philosophy which defines our actions and inclination towards morality.

My general ethical philosophy is similar to Aquinas. I believe that life has a purpose and fulfillment of this purpose allows us to be happy. True happiness can be attained through love of God and the ultimate happiness for a human is when he is blessed with heaven in the afterlife by Almighty. However, in this life, happiness comes from living a life of friendship and virtue. Morality is acquired from the nature of humans and their activities. Human conscience is chaste because God made it that way. Thus, the distinction between right and wrong, good and bad and vice and virtue can be a product of reason and reflection through the use of conscience. I believe that religion plays an important role in supporting the use of reason and reflection to make these comparisons.

To explain it further, let me discuss some major ethical philosophies such as the principle of utilitarianism and the imperative principle. Philosophical utilitarianism addresses all aspects of human life. It is phrased as the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and is also called the greatest happiness principle. Utilitarianism is the concept that the morality of a conduct is measured by its effectiveness in providing happiness or pleasure to all living beings. In other words it highlights the theory of consequentialism, i.e. the outcome of an action determines its moral worth. The term imperative principle was introduced in Immanuel Kants ethics. It holds that the moral law is a result of logic and reason, and thus it should be respected on this basis. In other words, reason determines our actions. In this theory, the fundamental principle of morality is Let the law be the sole ground or motive of thy will. Kant highlights the fact that the law is worth respect due to its universality and necessity which doesnt need the support of experiences and can be derived from the mind alone. Thus an imperative is a principle which is born in a persons mind and it determines the actions of that person. Its a type of categorical imperative which can be taken as a statement of pure reason in reality.

I follow the imperative principle of decision making as I believe that the moral law is obligatory for man who is driven by sumptuous desires and whose intuition is contrary to the judiciary law. I believe that not abiding by the moral law is self-defeating and unreasonable. The conscience is the best way of experiencing the right as the commandments of conscience are right and dont require justification. Morality is the obedience of reason. But where does reason come from Man is not autonomous, but subject to God as his Lord who is the basis of morality. Human reason doesnt create moral law it only acknowledges it as a representation of a divine power above man. And it is not this proclaiming that serves as the force of establishing the moral law, but the higher authority that associates it to humans through conscience.

Thus my ethical decisions are taken on the basis of the distinction between right and wrong drawn by my conscience. For example, the other day I was walking to the class and I found a cell phone lying on the floor. It was a brand new blackberry. No one was around at that time as I was early to class. Even though my heart desired to keep it with me my conscience dictated that this is someone elses belonging and thus I have no right over it and I should ensure that it is returned to the rightful owner. So I went to the lost and found department and entrusted them with the phone so that it can be given to the person who has lost it. My conscience established the distinction between the right and the wrong act and I acted according to it by choosing the right option and thus acting ethically.

Acting in an ethical manner is extremely important for the welfare of the individual and the society. Even if there is no or a very small possibility of being caught, is it still important to act ethically because ethical behavior should be based on the belief of accountability to others and God ultimately. It should not be to gain the compliments of people.

In the field of economics, the general assumption is that individuals act in their own economic self interest and so they are likely to act unethically if it is in their economic self interest to do so. For example, everyone will cheat on their taxes if there is no possibility of detection. This concept is true to a certain extent but not entirely. It hugely depends on the individual. People with a strong sense of accountability and morality will not act unethically even if it doesnt fulfill their economic self interests. I have met many people in my life who perform their duties and responsibilities at the cost of their own discomfort, just because they have a strong belief in ethics. I myself have a strong sense of accountability and my priority is to act ethically at all times even if it costs me my own self interest. For example, once I went to a fun fair with my friends and they had a token system for the rides. One of the rides was extremely crowded and there was a long queue. Many people got away from the entrance to the ride without giving the coupon because the man who was checking the coupons couldnt handle so many people at once. My coupon fell somewhere while we were standing in the queue. When we were nearly at the entrance, I realized that my coupon is missing. I could have got through the entrance without showing the coupon but I decided to go back and buy another one even though it cost me extra money.

However, we cant deny the fact that majority would opt for cheating in our world if it is in their economic self interest to cheat. Humans are selfish by nature and so most of us dont care about acting ethically when it comes to self interests. Our constitutions and laws are full of rules and regulations regarding fraud and theft. Numerous cases are recorded in which people are punished for violating the laws and this shows that people cheat even when there is a high possibility that they will be caught and knowing the consequences of their actions. Then why wouldnt people cheat if they had no possibility of detection But it all comes down to the individual.

Ethical behavior is not a built in system. It can be learned and taught. The degree of learning and the effectiveness of teaching a code of ethics vary from adults to children. Children learn it at a faster pace as compared to adults majorly because of the fact that childhood is a stage of development of minds. It is a time when the minds are shaped and matured. Thus, whatever is taught to the mind in this period is what lasts the longest. Adults on the other hand have an already developed and matured mind which doesnt accept or is not willing to accept new ideas and things quickly. It takes time and there is a lot of intellectual activity when it comes to learning. However, this doesnt mean that adults cant learn. Adults can surely learn to be ethical through training such as a college course on ethics but the degree of its implementation might not be as high as those of children. For example, many organizations conduct corporate ethics program to promote ethical behavior in the organization. All employees who attend these formal business ethics programs are more likely to report misconducts according to a survey released by the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) on May 21. This shows that there is a scope for learning among adults.

Thus, ethical behavior is an outcome of the philosophies and beliefs of an individual based on a variety of moral aspects. It is characterized by equity, integrity and justice in professional, academic and interpersonal associations and in other human activities. It respects the multiplicity, dignity and rights of people and communities. People may or may not act ethically in a given situation based on their sense of morality and accountability.