My General Ethical Philosophy - Essay Example

?Essay on Ethics My general ethical philosophy is that everyone has the freedom and right to make whatever decisions they deem acceptable. Ethical choices are based on a whole host of different factors, such as personal opinion, societal attitudes, and the circumstances of a given situation. Broader ethical issues are determined by society rather than the individual. For example, most people would agree that it is wrong to steal. There is really no way that someone can justify that, even though they might be in an extreme situation. On the other hand, a personal ethical decision is based on one's own experiences and thoughts. For example, I believe that it would be wrong to cheat on an exam, but there may be others that differ from that opinion. My belief about that comes from the way I was raised and also the fact that I believe that exams are a time to gauge one's ability, and cheating gives a false representation of this. Finally, there are ethical choices based on a personal circumstance or situation. Someone who is poor may justify taking money left unattended to because they desperately need it. Other people who are not in need of cash are more likely to try and return it to the owner. Personally, I make most of my decisions based on my values and religious beliefs but also my gut feel. If an action does not feel right, then I probably shouldn't be doing it. I closely follow the principle of utilitarianism because I think that any ethical decision must consider all the parties that will be affected by the action. Just because I benefit from an ethical decision does not mean that other people will also benefit, so it is important to weight all these factors up before making an ethical decision. I believe that it is important to act in an ethical manner at all times because the decisions we make (or don't make) affect our character and reputation. Other people often form their basis of a person based on the ethical choices that they make on a daily basis. People who live unethically are also likely to suffer in other areas of their lives because they cannot make reasoned and informed decisions. I try to act in an ethical manner always because it helps me to be consistent. People who are well-respected and liked by others will likely have set a high standard for themselves throughout their whole lives. On the other hand, those of questionable moral character have likely only acting ethical on certain occasions, if at all. I believe that even if the possibility of being caught is extremely low, it is still important to act ethically because it sets a right mindset. There is a saying that goes "set a line in the sand." What this means is that we need to have boundaries of how far we are willing to go. Just because no one else will know or the likelihood of being caught is low does not mean that we should get rid of or move the line in the sand. Acting ethically at all times helps to breed consistency, and this will hold us in good stead when it really counts. I believe that decisions we make in secret are actually more important than those we make in public because they help to show our true character. I believe that if there was no possibility of detection, then most people would likely not pay their taxes. These types of people would justify their decision based on the fact that no one else would find out. Money is a subject that divides many people because of the power and status it brings. I do agree that individuals act in their own economic self-interest because we live in a capitalistic society where hard work and success are valued. Thus everyone wants to get ahead, and if not paying taxes can help then so be it. I do however think that most of those people who would avoid paying tax if they could get away with it would not openly admit to thinking that. The reason is that the process of paying tax is one of the most basic in our society and one of the greatest responsibilities of every working citizen. For those who would still pay their taxes even if they could get away with not paying them, I think that these people do have a good moral compass and would still pay taxes because they see themselves as valued members of society. People who avoid paying taxes are looked down on because it is viewed like they are trying to cheat society. The worst form of punishment can often be prison for these tax dodgers. Some people no matter the situation would still think that paying taxes is the only course of action. The reason they do so is not because they are dumb but because they have got into a regular habit. Once a person has been paying taxes habitually for years they are very unlikely to go back on that. I believe that most ethical behavior is something that is learned as a child, but there may be some people who can learn to be ethical later in life. Because ethical decision making is mostly habitual, it makes sense that people learn sound ethical behavior while they are young. Then when they get older they rarely question themselves because the little child inside of them instinctively knows what to do. For kids that don't learn ethical behavior, it may be possible for them to learn through a course when they are an adult. First of all, a person has to want to change their behavior, otherwise learning how to make ethical choices will not benefit them at all. The reason is that they would make ethical decisions behind closed doors but they would revert back to their old behavior if they think they can get away with it. If a person is determined to show greater ethical reasoning, then teaching that person how to make ethical choices can do some good. Unless they were forced to do so, the very fact that they want to learn shows a willingness to change. Also, any unresolved issues from when they were a child need to be dealt with so they can make informed ethical decisions. The fact that a person need to learn to be ethical when they are an adult shows that they either missed out during an important stage in their lives or were taught the wrong ethics and morals. One time when I had to address an ethical question was whether I should cheat on an exam. Many of the other students were openly cheating and they knew they could get away with it. Our teacher left the room for a few minutes and some people were passing around a cheat sheet. The paper dropped onto my desk but I did not look at it at first. I needed to decide whether this was the right thing to do. I weighed up in my mind what would happen if I did look at the paper. I knew that I would get a much higher grade if I did so. If I chose not to cheat, then I would likely get a lower grade because I was struggling with that exam. In the end I decided not to look at the sheet because I would be cheating myself. By appearing to be smarter than I really was, I would be deceiving others in addition to my future. I could not look at it so I passed it along to the next person. What they did with it did not concern me because everyone must be responsible for their own decisions. Read More