Who Me? Be Ethical?

Download Report

Transcript Who Me? Be Ethical?

Who Me? Be Ethical?
REVIEWING MY ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
What is Ethics Anyway?

Ethics is the consideration of the rightness or wrongness of human
behavior.

Ethics and morality are basically the same concept.

Good behaviors are ones you “ought” to do.

Bad behaviors are ones you “should” try not to do.

Evil behaviors are ones you “should” try very hard not to do.

Ethics isn’t just about the way the world is; it is about the way the world
“ought” to be.
Illegal? Immoral? Unethical?

A behavior can be legal and at the same time unethical or immoral.

Should all unethical things be illegal?

Each stance, behavior, or character trait is



“ethically (or morally) required,”
“ethically permitted,” or
“ethically forbidden.”
This language is clearer than simply saying “good (or right)” or “bad (or wrong).
Three reasons for being ethical



It makes life better

No jail time

No one seeking revenge

Less stress (e.g. Which lie did I tell her?)
It leads to a life of integrity

The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness

The state of being whole and undivided
It pleases the God who made you
Steps toward an Ethical Life Plan

Knowing myself now so I can direct myself into the future

Pay attention to:

what I do: How do I treat others? Am I lazy? Wasteful? Dishonest? Abusive?

how my feelings change my behaviors and vice versa

what I think about and what I believe

Wherever I find a difference between my belief and my behavior, a
change is needed

I am called to build my moral framework and live into it
Commitment to the Ethical Life

Commitment is not just in my head

I need to act on my ethical choices

I might be in error in my ethical thinking so it is important for me to consider
other theories and test them out, lest I go in the wrong direction.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without
accepting it.
Aristotle
Making your own ethical/moral theory
Ethically
Required
Permissible
Forbidden
Keeping vows
Alcoholic Drinks
Adultery
Credits

Ethics For Dummies. Christopher Panza, Adam Potthast. (2010)