Ethic: Universal Moral Code of Conduct - Essay Example

Introduction: Mankind since times immemorial has been grappling with the idea of establishing a lasting, universal moral of conduct. Almost all epochs of civilization, in all regions of the world had a moral code that has been accepted and refuted in equal numbers. The quest for an all pervasive and all acceptable universal moral code of ethics to help human beings to lead a day to day life based on rational principles has been an age-old research. Ethics is defined as a moral philosophy and as a discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. Aristotle (cited by Kraut, 2007) describes ethics as endeavour to create the well-being of the human kind. In the modern context philosophers not only try to know ‘how’ of ethics but also deliberate on their (why?) justifiability. While theologists made immutable doctrines rationalists have argued for ethics based on rational principles that can be studied in the reversibility criteria also. The ethics of religion are considered as divine commandments, whereas rational ethics are based on logic and reason. Yet earlier ethics can be dichotomised as those having their basis in emotion or intellect. The utility of ethics can be validated by the principle of utility (utilitarianism), practicability (empiricism) and the rationality (rationality). Jeremy Bentham cited at (cited at philosopher.org) tries to attribute morality to happiness. Their validity of an act is found in the goodness of the act itself (inconsequentialism) or the goodness the act generates (consequentialism). Nietzsche (cited at philosopher.org) relates it to a ‘slave morality’ and ‘master morality.’ But since the times of Nietzsche are passé we need not induge in this dichotomy and we will study moral principle as one whole for the society. Though never have ethical notions earned universal approval yet they have been they accepted but they have been agreed upon by majority of people (Thiroux and Krasemann). The modern day national societies are governed by principles enshrined in constitutions, laws and generally acceptable codes of human conduct. Yet political and ethical rights activists are in constant mode of deliberation on issues like death sentence, foeticide, abortion, and euthanasia. Code of ethics My code of ethics aims at the general good of individual and humanity. It tries to draw limits between what constitutes ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in the society. All individuals lead a life of contentment and fulfilment. Adults above the age of age of 18 can get married bear children. They have the duty to look after the needs of children and provide them with good education. They have the option to pursue a career of their choice. Individuals have the choice to adopt any faith and profess any religion. Belief in God is allowed, though inculcation of the scientific temper is promoted. Sex outside of/or without marriage is considered illegal. However, children borne of such sex without matrimony are treated with dignity and they get all the facilities that are available to other members of the society. All actions are rationally justifiable and explainable. “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.” This is also the reversibility criterion. (Kant cited Thiroux and Krasemann) or the Golden Rule. At the core of the Code lies the The Value of Life (Thiroux and Krasemann). The human life will be treated as important with the acknowledged reality of death too. The rational conduct of society will be based on ‘consquentialism’. In case of a moral dilemma a person should use the course of action that brings maximum good to people. Such actions will be followed by logical argument and logical consistency. The Code based on the principle of maximum good of largest number or people will have universality, yielding flexibility for particularity (Thiroux and Krasemann). Yet there are rules to be followed for as many predictable situations as possible. The rules like the one that “it is illegal to kill” will help do away with lot of reasoning, and logical analysis for a particular activity and bring stability (Thiroux and Krasemann) in the society. The Code is subject to revisions and changes from time to time as decided by the majority voice of the society. All individuals are asked to pursue a virtuous conduct. Virtuous conduct consists of age-old time tested virtues like Truth, Benevolence, Charity, Service, Honesty, and Justice and Non-violence. “It will be demanded of humans to: Promote goodness over badness Cause no harm or badness (malfeasance) Prevent badness or harm.” (Thiroux and Krasemann, 165) All actions that have social bearings will be reason based and a person can express and indulge in conduct based on emotion within the family, or a close circle of friends. The code is not a set cold rules that do not hold any scope for feelings. Individuals are be allowed to express their feelings through art, culture and literary events. Feeling is also allowed a free-run over reason when it amounts saving someone from injury or death like in relief and rescue operations. As such all actions that have negative consequences for any individuals or group of individuals are considered illegal. It is considered amoral to steal, kill, maim, threaten, harm, molest and rape. A person can pursue his self interests as long they don’t impinge upon the interests of others. For getting the freedom to pursue a vocation of choice and earning one’s likelihood there from, an individual is to pay taxes that are used for the common good of the society. An individual has the right to own private property but stealing somebody else’s property is illegal. All those acts that break the Code are punishable. Punishment for all kinds of infringement is decided by the Court of Law, where the accused has the right to defend him/her. There is no discrimination in society at any level on basis of caste, colour, creed or religion. All human being are considered equal as members of the society. My code of ethics can be developed that strives for maximum good of the majority of mankind. The code is also based on mixed ‘deontological ethics’ or the rules act approach. However, it is not as simplistic a notion when actually applied. How far example, do we ascertain what constitutes the maximum good of the most people? What about the minority feelings, of those who do not accept the code. They ought to be given a right to differ. But what should breach of the code entail for those who differ. This situation can be solved by knowing if a breach constitutes harm on others. In such an eventuality, the code should make those who conduct a breach IIIa The Code is developed taking into consideration all five principles of ethics: i) Principle of Value of Life ii) Principle of Goodness iii) Principle of Justice iv) Principle of Honesty and Truth Telling v) Principle of Individual Freedom. According to Thiroux and Krasemann the first two principles of Value of Life and Value of Life are provable logical and empirically the first two principles are logically and empirically necessary to Code of ethics. Thiroux and Krasemann consider Value of Good and Value of Life Principle are two essential principles that are basis of a civilised society. The next three principles become operative only when we have society that allows life to flourish and believes in its inherent goodness. The rest three according to Thiroux and Krasemann fall in the Secondary Category. Thiroux and Krasemann believes that principle in Primary and Secondary Category are interchangeable. These principles can always be held to be true but not absolutely true for all circumstances and may have to be transgressed to achieve an ulterior motive for an individual or the society. Hence Thiroux and Krasemann holds them as near-absolutes. The Principle of Value of Life not means an unflinching devotion to life but granting the right to live respectfully. Death is a certain truth and Value of Life upholds its reality. The Principle of Goodness is the core of the morality. Morality can be directly related to Goodness and Immorality can be associated with wrongness and badness. As humans it should be our common endeavour to promote good of all. The Principle of Justice is important as it promotes fairness in society, treats everybody with through the same laws. It not only promotes Kant’s Golden Rule of Irreversible Principle but also validated the Judea-Christian tradition of treating one’s neighbour on equal footing with himself/herself. Justice is not only a means of acquiring equality through law but it is also filling the members of the society with seeking only one’s fair share and considering all members of the society as co-equal partners. Principle of Honesty and Truth Telling is a corollary of Principle of Justice (Thiroux and Krasemann, 168) Truth promotes virtuous conducts in humanity. It develops inter-human relationships. Upholding the Principle Honesty and Truth Telling brings more responsibility in human behaviour. Hence Kant cited by Ka seeks banning lying from his maxims. Lying not only contorts reality but also makes the entire system of ethics illogical and inconsistent. The last but the most important Principle of Individual Freedom promotes freedom of the self. We are all entitled to a degree of freedom achieve our self interests including occupational, pleasures and needs of the mind. This is the trickiest of all Principles because it allows granting behavioural ‘flexibility’ to one individual without incurring damage to the other. In no way this principle can be made a rigid law. But the question of affixing the degree of freedom has been a subject matter of moral, legal and constitutional discourses. For us, it can suffice to say that individual freedom IV. All five Principles can be found in My Code of Ethics. My Code of ethics support the Principle of Value of Life by promoting the right to life, right to make marriage, procreate and develops a family. The Code accords highest aim sanctity to right to live and declares taking away of someone’s life as a crime. However, the Code fails to deal with issues like the right to take one’s own life (suicide), right to end life in face of physical trauma (euthanasia) and right to abort a child in the foetus. These are some of the burning issues of the contemporary society and are subject matters of deliberation at the highest religious, legal and moral forums. The Principle of Goodness is found in all the tenets of the code. The very purpose of the code is to create an ideal living atmosphere that generates the highest good of maximum number of people. The code seeks to base all human behaviour on the basis of reaping maximum goodness. The ‘individual goodness’ goes onto yield overall goodness of the society. The Principle of Justice is also dealt within the Code. The Code seeks to make common laws of punishment for its infringement. The Code seeks to give equal opportunities to all human beings to develop socially and economically. It seeks to preserve human dignity and seeks that human beings be kind to each other and treat all others equally. One’s self-interest should not transgress the rights of others. In asking for equal opportunities of education, employment and fulfilment of one’s pleasures and hobbies the Code is promoting the concept of Social Justice. iv) Principle of Honesty and Truth Telling: The Code of Ethics doesn’t make rigid laws about principles of Honesty and Truth Telling as they are very subjective issue. However, the code seeks punishment to those who try to make practice fraud and dishonesty upon others. Since the principle of Honesty and Truth Telling remain highly individualistic behaviours, the Code tries to promote the cause of good moral and value education so that principles of Honesty and Truth-Telling in all members of the society. However, the Code can lay greater emphasis on Principle of Honesty and Truth Telling by seeking to reward those who maintain an exemplary adherence to principle of honesty and truth telling. v) While making guidelines for the right social behaviour, the code also grants individual freedom as long as it doesn’t impinge upon the interests of others. A person is guided by self-interest to earn more and more and him/her and bring ‘goodness’ and ‘pleasure’ to self. The Code thus grants limited autonomy to each human being to pursue the work of one’s choice. The code also allows for infringement of the principles of the Code and give suppression to a matter of ‘immediate good’ without looking for logical solutions in consequentialism V The Code tries to produce stability in the society by promoting some ‘Rules.’ These “Rules” which have to be followed by everyone and are applicable to all in all given situations. The individual freedom is restrained by limitations imposed upon the individuals by other four principles. Individual Freedom is not allowed to stand in way of peace and stability of the society. The Code is guided by promotion of rational conduct achieved through logical means. The Code also seeks to infuse scientific temper in the individuals and encourages the belief in God. The common interplay of rational conduct guided by belief in scientific laws and God with granting of individual freedom promotes rigidity of the “Rules”. References Thiroux and Krasemann, Ethics Theory and Practice Ninth edition Encylopaedia Brittanica, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9106054/ethics Kraut, Richards (2007), The Stanford University Website Accessed March 20th 2008 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/ Jones, Rogers, Moral Philosophy, http://www.philosopher.org.uk/moral.htm Read More