1. Ethics
How do we decide?

2. Ethics Are… Standards of behavior for how we should act
as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on
Identification of correct approaches/actions within a moral framework
Often uses morality as a guide for determining right action
Not all ethics are questions of morality

3. Ethics vs. Morals Principles of right or wrong, good and bad
The rules of conduct recognized by a group or culture
Tends to be consistent within a certain context
Strictly following Ethical Principles may not have any Morals attached at all
Could violate Ethical Principles in order to maintain Moral integrity
Principles of right or wrong, good and bad
Morality is ultimately a compass of determining right and wrong

4. Ethics Are Not… Ethics is not the same as feelings
Some individual feel badly when they act unethically, some don’t
Ethics is not science
cloning
Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms
Some cultural practices are harmful and oppressive
Ethics is not following the law
Not all legal systems are founded upon Ethical principals
Ethics is not religion
Many people are not religious but ethics still applies to them

5. Morality as a Source of Ethical Standards
The Utilitarian Approach
Action should do the most good and minimize harm
Ending terrorism at the cost of some death and destruction
The Virtue Approach
Action fulfills a purpose to what your societal role is
How does this decision represent who I am?
Hippocratic oath doctors take – act in a way that does not harm the patient

6. The Fairness or Justice Approach
Ethical decisions should be made based on what is fair and just
Individuals should be paid more for more work, so why are many CEO’s paid hundreds of time more that their hard working employees?
The Common Good Approach
Act in a way that benefits the community over the individual
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few

7. We also have the duty to respect others rights
The Rights Approach
Individuals have certain inherent rights; they are important and valuable not mere cogs in a machine
We also have the duty to respect others rights
So ethical decision must consider the rights of the individual

8. Difficulty with the Approaches
we may not agree on the content of some of these specific approaches
We may not all agree to the same set of human and civil rights.
We may not agree on what constitutes the common good
We may not even agree on what is a good and what is a harm
the different approaches may not all answer the question "What is ethical?" in the same way