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Running head: THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

The Role Of Ethics In Everyday Life Michael D. Lamere ITT Technical Institute April 24, 2012

THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE The Role of Ethics in Everyday Life Throughout our lives, whether we know it or not, ethics plays a big role in many aspects

of our lives. Everything from what we think of as being the right or wrong thing to do to how we look at our fellow human beings to the factors we consider in our decision making process, can all be linked back to our ethical views. And while there are many ethical theories that exist, some may apply to us more than others. For the purposes of this paper, we will examine four ethical theories and give a brief explanation, in our own words, of each theorys position and meaning. Before beginning to explore the various ethical theories, perhaps we should define what ethics is and how it differs from morality. Ethics is the study of questions of morality, the search to understand what is right, wrong, good, and bad. It is the branch of philosophy that systematically studies moral ideals and goals, motives of choice, and patterns of good and bad conduct. Ethics is derived from the Greek ethikos, meaning character. Issues of personal character, and the search for the best patterns for living, were at the core of Greek ethical philosophy. In contrast, moral is from the Latin more. The Romans used this term to describe the customary ways that people tended to act. Thus, though the two terms are often used interchangeably today, morality has evolved to mean the social norms that people are taught and conditioned to follow, while ethics has come to refer to the rational investigating and questioning of these norms. This view of ethics is said to be normative, since it assumes the existence of at least some universal moral principles and standards. (Kaliski, 2001 p. 341-343) In this quote, the author both acknowledges the role morality plays in the world of ethics, but also clarifies the distinct differences between the two. Morality is societys version of right and wrong, while ethics is our own personal beliefs about what is right and wrong. Now that we

THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE have a clearer understanding about what ethics is, we will now examine a few of the more popular ethical theories and how they differ from each other. The first theory of ethics we will explore is utilitarian ethics. Utilitarian ethics basically states that if something causes pleasure or feels good, then it is right and if something is not pleasurable or causes one pain, then is wrong. This pleasure is good, pain is bad principle is the basic foundation of utilitarianism, and there is little wiggle room as far as utilitarians are concerned.

The second theory we will address is deontology, or deontological, ethics. Deontology is a theory introduced by Immanuel Kant which places special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. Deontological theories are often formulated in such a way that the rightness of an action is found in its conformity to a moral rule and consequently focus on logic and ethics. In deontological ethics, no attempt is made to explicate specific moral obligations. The third theory that will be discussed is intuitionism. According to philosophydictionary.org, intuitionism stresses the immediacy of knowledge or the self-evident character of certain ideas. This theory, which is also sometimes called moral intuitionism, embraces moral realism, ethical non-naturalism, and the thesis that our intuition forms the foundation of our ethical knowledge. This ethical theory is one which was championed by noted philosopher and moralist David Hume. As previously stated, throughout our lives, whether we know it or not, ethics plays a big role in many aspects of our lives. One form of ethics that I am consciously aware of in my life is that of utilitarian ethics. One area of utilitarianism that I can particularly relate to is the idea of the greatest happiness of the greatest number. While this concept can be seen as somewhat

THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE ambiguous since stressing the greatest numbers could be interpreted to imply that the utilitarian should bow to the majority (Martin p.1450). I, however, see the meaning more simply to mean that that which is best is that which is for the greater good of the greater number. A good example of that in my own life is from my time in the military. Starting in basic training, you are regaled with stories of personal sacrifice and of soldiers risking or sacrificing their own lives in order to save the lives of their fellow

soldiers. For me, it went well beyond just hearing a bunch of stories. I saw these types of selfless acts on a regular basis when serving as an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan. I saw fellow soldiers constantly risk their own lives by exposing themselves to enemy fire in order to pull a wounded comrade to safety and, in some instances, even saw fellow soldiers give their own lives by jumping on a grenade or saving a wounded buddy from certain death by shielding them with their own body. And they did this out of dedication and loyalty to their brothers-in-arms with utter disregard for their own lives and their own safety, and they did this so that their buddies may live. And that is something that has always stuck with me and which I believe illustrates the concept of the greater good for the greater number in possibly its purest form. While I may be taking a very liberal view of this theory, another ethical theory that I feel can also be related to my military experiences is that of deontology. Kants theory of deontological ethics places special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. My interpretation of that, as it relates to my military service, is that it gives you the wiggle room to justify committing acts and doing things that you would otherwise consider immoral, even if it the justification is short-lived. A prime example of this can be seen in the killing of fellow human beings while engaged in combat. Having been an infantryman, this is something that I unfortunately have personal experience with. The taking of

THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE a human life is looked upon as being the ultimate sin, as reflected in the fact that perhaps the most well known of the ten commandments being Thou Shall Not Kill. Yet this is precisely what you are asked to do when in combat. And if you are in the infantry, not only are you asked to do this, it is your job to do this. And that is a hard pill to swallow as human beings, which is why the Army spends a lot of time indoctrinating to have a different mindset and why so many

of the running cadences that you run to every morning are filled with blood and guts and killing. They slowly desensitize you to the idea of killing but it is another to desensitize you to the actual act of killing. That is where deontological ethics come into play. You are told that killing the enemy is your duty and that by doing so you are not only helping to protect your own life but, more importantly, also help protect the lives of your buddies which you feel an extreme bond and closeness to. Therefore, not killing the enemy would be seen as not doing your duty as a soldier, and ultimately be seen as letting down your fellow soldiers. While there are many other illustrations of ways that ethics have played a role in my life, I have chosen to use these examples because I feel that these are some of the ways ethics have most profoundly played a role in my life.

THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN EVERYDAY LIFE References Halberstam, J. Everyday Ethics: Inspired Solutions to Real-Life Dilemmas. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. Thompson, M. Ethics. Lincolnwood (Chicago), Ill.: NTC Publishing Group, 1994. Martin, M. W. Everyday Morality: An Introduction to Applied Ethics. 2nd ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1995. Kaliski, B. S. Encyclopedia of Business and Finance. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. deontological ethics. (2012). In Encyclopdia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/158162/deontological-ethics

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