The observation we are conducting right now cannot be more important
- Making a distinction between classic and contemporary ethical thought is an essential component of defining ethical thinking
Ali Lashari
The three traditions of philosophy, religion, and morality are all incorporated into ethical frameworks. The majority of people will take inspiration from each of these but will prefer one or the other when it comes to their ethical principles.
That’s unfair, I say. You will hear this cry if you spend any time around any kids playing. Humans seem to have an inbuilt sense of justice and fairness even as young children. But where does this passion for fairness come from? What distinguishes between right and wrong behavior? What routes lead to the finest possible human existence? How can one recognize the good life? All of these inquiries naturally arise from the human heart’s depths.
Theoretical ethnicities
When faced with a moral conundrum, we frequently combine ethical skills to analyze the issue and determine the appropriate course of action. We consider our obligations, the effects on others, and whether a course of action is just or moral. Knowing the many ethical options available to us enables us to address ethical problems more carefully. Several ethical philosophical traditions have developed throughout the course of human history. Virtue ethics come from ancient cultures, whereas Responsibility and Responsibility ethics were developed during the Enlightenment, Justice ethics were developed in the middle of the 20th century, and Bioethics became a significant issue in the late 20th century.
Discussing fundamental moral concepts in a defensible manner that cuts across philosophical or theological traditions can occasionally be useful when making these challenging moral decisions.
Are you more focused on the greater good of the group or the greater good of the individual? Who has more value in the end: the person or the group? This does not imply that either orientation is morally right or wrong. Instead, your orientation is a psychological characteristic with a strong foundation that supports the ethical judgments you make.
First, the term “ethics” refers to well-founded rules of right and wrong that outline what people should do. These rules are typically expressed in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or certain qualities. For instance, when we talk about ethics, we’re talking about the moral principles that impose the justifiable requirements to refrain from rape, theft, murder, assault, defamation, and fraud.
These standards are suitable ethical standards since they are based on consistent and solid justifications.
The study and creation of one’s ethical standards are also considered to be part of ethics.
As was previously noted, feelings, legal requirements, and societal conventions can differ from what is moral. In order to ensure that one’s standards are acceptable and well-founded, it is vital to regularly review them. Hence, ethics also refers to the ongoing process of examining our moral convictions and behavior in order to make sure that we, as well as the institutions we work to create, stick to fair and well-founded norms.
The Real View
Several ethicists highlight that the most beneficial or least harmful course of action—or, to express it yet another way—the activity that results in the greatest balancing of good over bad—is the one that is ethical. So, the most moral business action is the one that benefits all parties most—including shareholders, customers, employees, the community, and the environment—while causing the fewest negative effects. Throughout the ethical battle, the harm caused to all sides by death, injury, and destruction is balanced against the good that is achieved by putting an end to evil. In dealing with outcomes, the humanist method aims to both enhance good deeds and decrease bad deeds.
The Appropriate Method
According to other philosophers and ethicists, moral behavior is the type of behavior that most effectively upholds and defends the moral rights of those impacted. This strategy is predicated on the idea that people are deserving of respect just because they are people and have the freedom to live their life as they see fit. Humans are entitled to the right to be considered as ends in themselves rather than just as tools for a different objective because of their dignity. freedom to choose the kind of life one leads, the right to know the truth, the right to be safe from harm, the right to some measure of privacy, and others. Some people today contend that non-human animals also have rights. It is also frequently claimed as obligations are implied by rights, particularly the responsibility to respect the civil liberties of others.
Approaching things truthfully or rightfully
The notion that every human being equals must be treated equally was put forward as well as various thinkers. Today, we utilize this concept to argue that moral behavior treats all people fairly, or equally if that is not possible, according to some justifiable norm. We feel it is fair to compensate employees more for their tougher labor or for the greater amount they offer to an organization. Whether the enormous discrepancy is based on a standard that can be defended or whether it is the outcome of a power imbalance and hence unfair has generated debate over CEO salaries that are hundreds of times more than the pay of others.
Greek thinkers also introduced the idea that contributing to community life through our acts is a virtue in and of itself. According to this perspective, respect and compassion for everyone, especially the weaker members of society, are necessary for ethical reasoning and serve as its foundation. This method also draws attention to the universal issues that are crucial to ensuring everyone’s welfare. This could be a set of laws, efficient police and fire agencies, medical services, a system of public education, or even open spaces for enjoyment.
According to a very old theory of ethics, moral behavior should be consistent with specific ideal characteristics that promote all aspects of human nature. These virtues are inclinations and practices that allow us to act in accordance with our character’s best potential and in support of ideals like beauty and honesty. Virtues include things like sincerity, bravery, kindness, generosity, understanding, love, faithfulness, trustworthiness, equity, self-control, and wisdom. The question of “Exactly what type of human might we become when we do such?” or “Is this behavior in keeping with my acting at my best?” is posed by virtue ethics in relation to any activity.
Due to the simple fact that ethical theories offer various points of perspective that people look toward for direction while choosing options, they serve as a basis for decision-making in matters of choice Whenever Morality Comes In Play. In order to arrive at what the individual believes to be an ethically sound option, each theory emphasizes distinct factors, such as a particular decision-making style or a decision rule—such as forecasting the outcome and upholding one’s obligations to others. Students need to comprehend that not everyone makes ethical decisions in the same way, with the same knowledge, and by following the same rules in order to grasp ethical decision-making. It is necessary to have some comprehension of a common set of objectives that decision-makers want to accomplish in order to succeed in order to better comprehend the ethical theory. Respect for autonomy, beneficence, least damage, and justice are four of these objectives.
The rule of beneficence directs the decision-maker to act in the best interests of everybody involved. His emphasis on “doing good” utilizes an ethical viewpoint and potential resolution to a moral issue acceptable. The utility principle, which asserts that we should try to create as much good as possible relative to evil in the world, is connected to this one as well. This concept states that ethical theories should aim to do as much good as possible because most good benefits the most people. This concept is mostly related to the utilitarian ethical theory that will be covered in the notes that follow.
According to the justice ethical concept, decision-makers should concentrate on taking acts that are fair to all parties concerned. This indicates that moral judgments must be in accordance with the ethical theory unless there are exceptional reasons that may be justified. This also implies that instances of mitigating circumstances must present a material and distinguishing feature from comparable instances that supports the conflicting conclusion.
Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher who lived from 1724 to 1804, held the belief that choices or decisions should be based on universally applicable moral principles. He accords moral principles as the highest priority. By asking “why?” and learning the moral principles implicit in a choice, one can determine whether it was morally sound. A person must follow and put moral principles into practice at all times and in all situations once they have made the decision to adopt them. The theory’s flaw is that it doesn’t give much thought to how actions may affect others.
Choose the appropriate end, then the methods to achieve it. In other words, accomplishing the goal or end justifies using certain methods to get there. The following queries must be addressed in a school environment: “What are we trying to achieve?” and “Are we going about this in the right way?” It is important to use caution so that pursuing a goal does not take precedence over moral obligations.
What is meta-ethics?
Beyond challenging the rationale of particular ethical standards, meta-ethics goes further. Instead, it seeks to comprehend our methodology and justification for initially considering these moral standards.
If we examine true ethical standards, we will discover astounding continuity throughout history and throughout different communities. The Ten Commandments are the model for the majority of ethical systems. They are basic prohibitions that seem to apply to everyone. It is difficult to fathom a society in which the murder of an adult, a defenseless person is normal.
The justifications for these norms and the justifications for moral behavior are distinct. The real moral standards don’t change when one moves from one culture to another, but the reasoning behind them could. The study of meta-ethics aims to pinpoint the multiple justifications for moral standards. {4}
Modern and Traditional Ethical Thinking Defined
Making a distinction between classic and contemporary ethical thought is an essential component of defining ethical thinking. This approximately reflects a separation between the classical/medieval and modern worldviews in terms of time. Although modern thought patterns start to appear as early as the 14th century, the modern era officially starts in the 17th century. Significant advancements in human cognition regarding the fundamentals of life and existence experienced a profound shift during this time.
Socrates, the Greek philosopher, is still as mysterious and puzzling today as he was during his lifetime (469–399 B.C.E.); despite having left no writings, he is regarded as one of the few thinkers who forever altered how philosophy itself was to be understood.
One of the few people, Socrates, whose influence on the philosophical and cultural evolution of the world has been so profound that history would have been very different without him. He is best known for his affiliation with the Socratic technique of question and response, his admission of ignorance (or awareness of his own ignorance), and his assertion that an unquestioned life is not something that humans should put their lives on the line for. He served as the model for Plato, who is regarded as the father of the Western philosophical tradition. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle formed the renowned trio of ancient philosophers. Plato later served as Aristotle’s tutor.
Considering that Socrates was the first person in the history of the West to assert that happiness is genuinely attainable via human effort, he holds a special position in the history of happiness. The notion that one might make themselves happy was seen as hubris, a form of excessive self-importance, and was to be severely discouraged.
The upbeat Socrates steps into the scene against this depressing background. He contends that shifting focus from the body to the soul is the secret to happiness. By balancing our wants with our needs, we have the ability to calm the mind and arrive at a peacefulness that resembles that of the divine. In large part, because it results in a happier life, a moral existence is to be preferred to an immoral one. Happiness is at the forefront of Western philosophy from the first, intertwined with ideas like morality, justice, and the ultimate purpose of human existence.
Socrates, according to the Roman philosopher Cicero, “wrested philosophy from the heavens and brought it down to earth.”
We may also infer from this, without a doubt, that Socrates was the first “positive psychologist,” as he advocated for a scientific understanding of the human mind in order to determine what actually contributes to happiness in people.
According to Plato, Socrates is supposed to have advocated the following views on happiness:
- Happiness is a basic desire of every human being.
- Happiness is a human endeavor that may be attained and taught.
- Happiness isn’t a product of external things; rather, it depends on how we use those things, whether in a wise or foolish way.
- Happiness relies upon an “education of desire,” in which the soul learns to balance its impulses by turning its attention away from sensual pleasures or toward the love of knowledge and virtue.
- Happiness and virtue are inseparably intertwined, making it difficult to have one without the other.
- The pleasures that come from seeking after knowledge and morality are of a better caliber than the pleasures that come from giving in to simple animal wants. However, although enjoyment is a necessary component of the practice of virtue in fully human life, it is not the ultimate purpose of existence.
It was nearly impossible to get a straight answer from the philosopher Socrates. “Is being good something that can be taught?” a wealthy young man enquired. Far from whether it is teachable, Socrates retorted, “I have no idea what good is at all.” They look into the issue collectively rather than responding.
A moral philosopher, Socrates. He had no interest in science or math, only in the condition of his own and other people’s souls. The philosophy of Socrates looks at how we ought to live. This prompted him to have conversations about numerous virtues, like prudence, justice, bravery, piety, and so forth. Socrates believed that his purpose was to dispel myths. He advocated for people to be more concerned with their souls than their bodies and belongings, arguing that “wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth.” As a result, he thought that by exposing their flawed reasoning, he was doing the city of Athens and its residents a service.
What is the legacy of Socrates? He is frequently referred to as the “first” philosopher, but not in the sense that he was the first to do something; rather, he is at the top of the list. He was a philosopher, but in some respects, he was more of a sage. Buddha, who passed away ten years before Socrates was born, can be compared to him. Both spent their lives reflecting on and learning about how to live, and they both attracted large followers who eventually shared their teachings. But although Buddha established a purely spiritual practice, Socrates inspired an approach that is at the core of Western philosophy: employing reason to unearth facts about life or, at the very least, identify where our thinking is inadequate.
Read: Concepts of Self-awareness and Mindfulness
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Ali Lashari is Assistant Director (Excavation & Exploration) at Directorate of Archaeology & Antiquities Wing, Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department Government of Sindh.
