What are ethics anyway?
By Amanda Bittle, Editor
As graduation draws near, many students are preparing to transfer schools or enter the professional workforce.
In their new positions, graduates may be called upon to make ethical decisions.
As Employment Services Coordinator Laura Choppy pointed out in the recent seminar “Ethics in the 21st Century,” ethical issues are difficult to navigate.
Think about your actions before going along with something that makes you uncomfortable.
Even if an act is legal, it may be unethical. People won’t know whether this is the case unless they consider the issue in depth. One’s moral mandate should come from more than the letter of the law.
One hundred forty five years ago, slavery was legal. Was it any more ethical then than now? No — our society evolved by questioning its laws and the reasoning behind them.
Also, this year marks the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court Case that determined state laws banning multi-racial marriage violated the 14th Amendment.
Ninety years ago, women were denied the right to vote.
These legalized injustices would not have changed without people who were willing to question the philosophy of the law.
Not to question renders a society vulnerable to groupthink and corruption. To justify one’s actions solely through appeal to their legality is misguided, even lazy.
It can be challenging, frustrating and time-consuming, but we have a responsibility to our fellow humans to do what is right. What’s right is not always what the rules say, or even what is legally allowed.
The temptation to go along with rules that disturb one’s sense of ethics can be great. Sometimes people are afraid to anger higher-ups. Sometimes an unethical behavior makes life easier or more pleasant for a person. Sometimes people simply don’t consider the implications of their actions.
However, as citizens we have a duty to understand as best we can the rationale behind the many laws of our land. We should not have our sense of morality served to us on a plate by the U.S. government.
If you find yourself with a nagging sense that the action you’re considering is not the right thing to do, stop and think.
Citizens owe it to their fellow women and men to ensure they are within their rights ethically as well as legally. Often the two go hand in hand, but they are not intrinsically bound.
Give life’s inevitable ethical quandaries the time and consideration they deserve.
