Ethical Issues on Social Conservatism - Term Paper Example

The Ethical Issues Associated With Conservatism Table of Contents Introduction 3 Ethical Issues Related to Social Conservatism 3 Models of Ethics 4 Conclusion 5 Works Cited Page 6 Bibliography 7 Introduction In simple terms, ‘conservatism’ can be explained as someone seeking to conserve. In order to analyze if the person is right or wrong, it would be enough to have a look at what is he wishing to conserve. This can be explained with the help of an example. It can be revealed that if the social forms are in conformity with the person’s highest goals and thus relates to the deepest thinking of the man, then it is not an issue for him. However, an individual in the recent times doesn’t think rationally. A person may not automatically hate the past and may wish for the technical progress for the people’s good. However, he normally tends to have a discrimination against the conservative attitude. The reason behind this may be the fact that he tends to get impacted by the acquisitive thesis which states that conserving is detrimental to the changing life and this may lead to immobility. It can be stated that the conservatives are supposed to consider preserving their social privilege, no matter how small it is. Further, in an attempt of preserving the question to be addressed if the object to be preserved is worthy of preserving then it goes by default (Burckhardt, “What is Conservatism”). More precisely the term ‘conservatism’ can be explained as the political philosophy favoring the traditions in the light of exterior factor of change. It can be useful in situation when deep-seated social change is triggered. It is a well known fact that distinct cultures have distinct values and as a result the different goals are pursued by the conservatives of different cultures. The components of numerous ideologies and philosophies are integrated by different forms of the conservatism, and thus the conservatism has an impact upon them. There are numerous types of conservatism approaches. They are cultural conservatism, social conservatism, religious conservatism, paleo-conservatism, fiscal conservatism, neo-conservatism and bio-conservatism. Among them social conservatism is taken for the purpose of the study (Philosophy basics, “Introduction”). Ethical Issues Related to Social Conservatism After having understood the meaning of the conservatism, it would be prudent to comprehend the term social conservatism and the ethical issues surrounding it. With the assistance of the laws and regulations the social conservative tries to preserve the traditional morality as well as the social ethnicity. It is believed by the social conservatives that the intervention of the government is not the problem, however liberal use of the government may assist in maintaining order and thus increasing morality in the society. This can be considered as one of the pros of the social conservatives. However, the social conservatives may also tend to be the weakest when they are considered along the gamut of the economic conservatism since it tends to counter the free trade, immigration and others. There are various other social issues. When the business houses tend to focus only on profit making without paying due attention towards the society then it can be considered as one of the ethical issues related to social conservatism. This may lead to gain of one group while loss for the other (Azari, R., “Current security management & ethical issues of information technology”). It is worth while to be mentioned that the social conservatives’ intention may tend to be good and pure as that of the liberals who have their own collectivism and social programs. However, the fact is that the social conservatives don’t inject their own ideas rather try to introduce various bills and legislations that tend to achieve the opposite of what the social conservatives had intended to achieve. The government, instead of acting as a symbol of hope tries to inject a dose of immorality into the society. This tends to change with the extent of activism by the social conservatives. Paradoxically, with the increase in the power of the social conservatives they tend to drive the society away from its goals (Tavis, “Social Conservatism”). Models of Ethics This needs to be related to the ethical models. However, it is important to behave in an ethical manner so that the harm done intentionally or unintentionally can be avoided (California State Polytechnic University, “Ethics, Social Responsibility and Diversity”). Utilitarianism Theory There are several theories that tend to support the issues related to the social conservatives. One of them has been the utilitarianism theory. It tends to explain that results determine the rightness as well as the wrongness of the moral actions. As per the views of the utilitarianism, one can easily measure the benefits and troubles that have been produced by the individual action and thus identify the total of those harms and the benefits. There are various benefits of utilitarianism method. However, the chief advantage of the utilitarianism is that it requires a person to keep into mind, as impartially as possible, the interest of the affected parties due to one’s actions. B.W.D. Ross Prima Facie Obligation The second theory that can be applied in the context of issue of social conservatism is the B.W.D. Ross Prima facie obligation. As claimed by this theorist, it is through the reflection on the normal moral belief one can easily inculcate the rules of morality. These rules cannot be reduced and tend to be ultimate which makes it the foremost ideology of moral reasoning. It can further be stated that the prima facie obligation can be considered to be a conditional one which can be substituted by more significant as well as higher responsibility in a particularly special situation. Each of the individual has the prima facie duty to be truthful as well as honest. This can be best explained with the help of the following example. If the murderer visits the person’s house searching for his wife whom the person has hidden, then in that case the person’s responsibility to speak truth tends to become secondary to his responsibility for the protection of the human life. Ross model tends to focus at seven basic moral duties that tend to bind the moral agent (Santa Clara University, “Frameworks for Ethical Analysis”). Corporate Social Responsibility It is a well known fact that good ethics tend to bring positive outcome for the performance of the organization. All the four factors such as integrity, responsibility, ethics and values are required for the modern workplace. Therefore, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has a major role to play in determining the performance of the firm (Joyner & Payne, “Evolution and Implementation: A Study of Values, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility”). It has been noted that the managers of the organizations face tremendous demand from the stakeholders for the purpose of devoting the resources to CSR. Since there are conflicting goals and objectives the definition of the CSR may not tend to be clear. However, it can be defined as actions that can assist the companies to work for the welfare of the society which tends to be beyond the interest of the firms and is also deemed as necessary for the law (McWilliams & Siegal, “Corporate Social Responsibility: A Theory of the Firm Perspective”). It has been noted that in the case of unraveling the church and the state, the reason behind it has been the protection of the integrity of the church as well as the related organization in light of federal encroachment. At this point, the social conservatives seem to have played a central role by encompassing centralization for the achievement of the opposite ends. In this regard, it was found that the social conservatism seems to have valued the self-determination of the families, of the communities and that of the churches. It has further been noted that the natural institution of the society tends to get destroyed because of the centralization. It was noted that the conservatism tends to be mismatched with the centralized as well as state approved force. In addition, the government is not capable of preserving or pushing the morality (Whalen, “The Lost Ethics of Social Conservatism”). Conclusion There are many ethical issues that an individual needs to focus upon in order to lead a proper life. In addition to thinking for the benefits of one, the person must also work for the welfare of the society. However, most of the time people may not think for the welfare of society. It is quite important for the social conservatism to pay due attention towards the preservation of the tradition and culture while paying more attention towards the ethics and morality. It is through the various theories one can solve the various social problems related to ethics. Therefore, due consideration needs to be provided to them. Works Cited Page Academic Journals Joyner, Brenda E. & Payne, Dinah. “Evolution and Implementation: A Study of Values, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility”. Journal of Business Ethics. Vol: 41, Iss: 4, pp: 297-311. McWilliams, Abagail. & Siegal, Donald. “Corporate Social Responsibility: A Theory of the Firm Perspective”, The Academy of Management Review. Vol. 26, Iss. 1, pp. 117-127. Books Azari, Rasool. Current Security Management & Ethical Issues of Information Technology Idea Group Inc (IGI), 2003. Daily Newspapers Whalen, Corie. “The Lost Ethics of Social Conservatism”. June 06, 2011 Daily Caller, 2011. Internet Burckhardt, Titus. “What is Conservatism”. June 06, 2011. Online Articles, No Date. California State Polytechnic University. “Ethics, Social Responsibility and Diversity”. June 06, 2011. Ethics and Stakeholders, 2000. Philosophy Basics. “Introduction”. June 06, 2011. Conservatism, No Date. Santa Clara University. “Frameworks for Ethical Analysis”. June 06, 2011. Why Be Moral, 2000. Tavis. Social Conservatism. June 06, 2011. Neo-Perspectives, 2006. Bibliography Shaw, William H. & Barry, Vincent. Moral Issues in Business Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Read More