The term ethics comes from the Greek word ethos , which originally meant "dwelling place", "place where one lives" and which ended up pointing out the peculiar and acquired "character" or " way of being " of someone; custom ( mos-moris : morality). Also known as moral philosophy, it is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of correct behavior. The field of ethics, together with aesthetics, refer to questions of value, and therefore comprise the branch of philosophy called axiology. It seeks to solve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, virtue and vice, justice and crime.
What is ethics
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Ethics can be defined as the science of moral behavior, since, by carrying out a detailed analysis of society, it is established how all the individuals who live in it should act or behave. This philosophical discipline is linked to the rules, they serve as the basis for making a difference between good and evil.
The ability of an individual to decide whether something is morally correct or not is called ethical criterion. There are different types of criteria that can be used in making a decision, among them are the utilitarian criteria, focus on justice and focus on rights.
Each individual is able to forge an image of what he is and wants to be in a society, which is increasingly submerged in situations of risk in terms of the individual identity of people. From that moment on, the family plays an extremely important role as it instills ethical and moral values. In addition to this, it guides the individual in the evaluation of their actions, allowing them a better understanding of the people around them, making the subject have their own ethical criteria.
Ethical values
They are patterns of behavior that adjust the behavior of the individual. Ethical values are acquired through the individual development of people, with their experiences within the environment that surrounds them, such as family, school, social and the media.
The objective of ethical values is to maintain clear rules of the game in a society, regarding the execution of specific functions within it. The most important are: freedom, justice, responsibility, honesty and respect.
As a field of intellectual research, moral philosophy is also related to the fields of moral psychology, descriptive ethics, and the theory of value.
Rushworth Kidder states that "standard definitions of ethics typically include such phrases as ' the science of ideal human character ' or 'the science of moral duty.' Richard William Paul and Linda Elder define ethics as "a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or hurts sentient creatures."
The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word "ethics" is "commonly used interchangeably with 'morality'… and is sometimes used more strictly to refer to the moral principles of a particular tradition, group or individual." Paul and Elder claim that most people mistake it for behavior in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs and the law and do not treat ethics as a separate concept.
The word ethics in English refers to several things. It can refer to philosophical ethics or moral philosophy, a project that attempts to use reason to answer various types of ethical questions. As the English philosopher Bernard Williams writes, trying to explain moral philosophy: "What makes an inquiry philosophical is reflective generality and a style of argument that claims to be rationally persuasive." Williams describes the content of this research area how to address the very broad question, "how should one live."
In addition, it can refer to the common human capacity to think about ethical problems that are not particular to philosophy. Ethics can also be used to describe one's own idiosyncratic principles or habits. For example: "Joe has a strange ethic."
Civic and Ethical Training
It is in charge of teaching the individual in what way they should be linked and live in harmony with society. Its main objective is to consolidate in students the necessary capacity to have their own criteria, to know what is ethical the principles that humanity has shaped throughout its history and to form the basis for identifying the importance of maintaining responsible and free action, for their development as a person and a better social life.
What is Social Ethics
It studies the moral principles and norms of social life in an institutional and non-institutional sense. In addition to this, it is considered as a fundamental complement of individual ethics, who considers the responsibility of people in relation to others and to himself.
Ethical principles are rules that serve as a guide to define a person's behavior and take what is considered good or valid.
The main ethical principles are:
- Principle of morality.
- Principle of life.
- Principle of humanity.
- Equality principle.
- Community principle.
What is a Code of Ethics
It is a mechanism that allows companies to implement, (through statements of principles and values), universal moral and ethical bases, which are fundamental in the daily life of the organization. The code of ethics helps in relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, contractors and even with a company's competitors. It also creates confidence in the clarity of the negotiations of an organization or company.
The moral code of ethics philosophy of a company, arises as an integral part of its organizational culture and is determined by the patterns, symbols, values, practices of the company and its history, which are reflected in the way its directors, administrators and managers lead it, and like the rest of the collaborators they carry out their work.
Professional ethics
It is the set of values and norms that allow a better development in professional activities. In addition, it is responsible for establishing ethical guidelines in job growth, through the universal values that are part of human beings.
Professional ethics determines how a professional should act in a defined situation. This ethic could be pointed out only in professionals at the university level, but it must be taken into account in any other trade or job on a permanent basis.
There are four types of professional ethics that are:
- Professional ethics of an administrator.
- Professional ethics of a lawyer.
- Professional ethics of a psychologist.
- Professional ethics of a teacher.
Example of codes of Ethics
The code of ethics for health personnel refers to the moral and social obligations that a person assumes when rendering their service in a health center on a daily basis. Understand the following standards of behavior:
Professional Treatment
It refers to the behavior of health workers and their leaders, in the face of daily situations in professional work accepted by the health sciences and expected by the community that receives their services.
Social Treatment
It is the conduct assumed by health professionals in relation to patients, their families and legal representatives.
Labor conduct
It refers to the behavior of health workers and their leaders, before the institution where they work and with the rest of their co-workers.
Training and development of research staff
It is about the behavior of the members of the health teams, in relation to the training activities and formation of new personnel, as well as in updates for the development and training of work and scientific research, in order to generate new knowledge and better understanding of reality.
Extra-institutional relationships of health personnel
It refers to the relationship of health personnel with schools or academic, research, or manufacturing and distribution of medicines and health supplies.
Environmental ethics is the branch of philosophy that is responsible for analyzing the behavior of man before nature or the natural environment where it develops. The damage caused by humanity to the environment began to be studied publicly in the middle of the last century.
The increase in damage caused to the environment by industries and the scarce awareness of man in preserving it, resulted in moral regulations and ethical behavior, which requires responsibility on the part of industries and citizens, regarding the care the environment.
What are the differences between Ethics and Morals
The primary difference between ethics and morality is that the first is responsible for the study and reflection on morality, allowing the individual to decide between good and evil, between what is ethical or not, instead morality is a set of norms and principles based on the culture and customs of a social group.
Interpretations of Ethics
It is one of the branches of philosophy, which as a science studies the why of things, the necessary and the universal, which is dedicated to the analysis of human behavior. What is ethical is what is done by the person's own and absolute will, that is, what is absent from freedom is not considered ethical. In other words, man is oriented to perform good acts guided by conscience, which clarifies whether they are right or wrong. On the other hand, the value is that ethical and moral scale that an individual possesses when acting.
Kantian ethics
According to Kant, ethics is governed by morality and good will. According to this, if an individual acts for his own benefit, or out of fear and not out of respect for a moral duty, these actions are not classified as moral.
Japanese Ethics
It is one of the most important obligations for the Japanese and is acquired at birth, that is, they are a series of debts such as respect for parents and family. If an individual's reputation is tampered with, it is cleaned only through revenge called “kirisute-gomen”, which means “excuse me but I had to take your head”
Business ethics
They are a series of values, principles and norms established in the culture of a company, to achieve a better harmony in society and thus allow a better adaptation in all its environment, managing to combat corruption, workplace harassment, defamation and misleading ads, among others.
Scientific Ethics
This is seen from two large areas: the internal and the external. The internal one is the one necessary for science to work and which is made up of rules, which although they are not written, no scientist can violate them, since he runs the risk of losing the right to be part of this community. The external one is that which is related to society and the environment, it is forbidden to experiment with human beings, cause minimal suffering to animals and cause damage to the ecosystem.
Technological Ethics
It allows the behavior of human beings to be technology-oriented and defines their behavior in the face of a diversity of benefits granted by technological advances.
Legal Ethics
The legal professional is due to his professional ethical study and to himself, his mission is to achieve the levels of justice granted by law, based on an upright conduct and committed to the parameters of morality and impartiality, keeping aside his personal interests in order to prevail those of his client, since this is the purpose of his profession.
