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How to Write an Ethics Paper: Guide & Ethical Essay Examples

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An ethics essay is a type of academic writing that explores ethical issues and dilemmas. Students should evaluates them in terms of moral principles and values. The purpose of an ethics essay is to examine the moral implications of a particular issue, and provide a reasoned argument in support of an ethical perspective.

Writing an essay about ethics is a tough task for most students. The process involves creating an outline to guide your arguments about a topic and planning your ideas to convince the reader of your feelings about a difficult issue. If you still need assistance putting together your thoughts in composing a good paper, you have come to the right place. We have provided a series of steps and tips to show how you can achieve success in writing. This guide will tell you how to write an ethics paper using ethical essay examples to understand every step it takes to be proficient. In case you don’t have time for writing, get in touch with our professional essay writers for hire . Our experts work hard to supply students with excellent essays.

What Is an Ethics Essay?

An ethics essay uses moral theories to build arguments on an issue. You describe a controversial problem and examine it to determine how it affects individuals or society. Ethics papers analyze arguments on both sides of a possible dilemma, focusing on right and wrong. The analysis gained can be used to solve real-life cases. Before embarking on writing an ethical essay, keep in mind that most individuals follow moral principles. From a social context perspective, these rules define how a human behaves or acts towards another. Therefore, your theme essay on ethics needs to demonstrate how a person feels about these moral principles. More specifically, your task is to show how significant that issue is and discuss if you value or discredit it.

Purpose of an Essay on Ethics

The primary purpose of an ethics essay is to initiate an argument on a moral issue using reasoning and critical evidence. Instead of providing general information about a problem, you present solid arguments about how you view the moral concern and how it affects you or society. When writing an ethical paper, you demonstrate philosophical competence, using appropriate moral perspectives and principles.

Things to Write an Essay About Ethics On

Before you start to write ethics essays, consider a topic you can easily address. In most cases, an ethical issues essay analyzes right and wrong. This includes discussing ethics and morals and how they contribute to the right behaviors. You can also talk about work ethic, code of conduct, and how employees promote or disregard the need for change. However, you can explore other areas by asking yourself what ethics mean to you. Think about how a recent game you watched with friends started a controversial argument. Or maybe a newspaper that highlighted a story you felt was misunderstood or blown out of proportion. This way, you can come up with an excellent topic that resonates with your personal ethics and beliefs.

Ethics Paper Outline

Sometimes, you will be asked to submit an outline before writing an ethics paper. Creating an outline for an ethics paper is an essential step in creating a good essay. You can use it to arrange your points and supporting evidence before writing. It also helps organize your thoughts, enabling you to fill any gaps in your ideas. The outline for an essay should contain short and numbered sentences to cover the format and outline. Each section is structured to enable you to plan your work and include all sources in writing an ethics paper. An ethics essay outline is as follows:

• Background information
• Thesis statement
• Restate thesis statement
• Summarize key points
• Final thoughts on the topic

Using this outline will improve clarity and focus throughout your writing process.

Ethical Essay Structure

Ethics essays are similar to other essays based on their format, outline, and structure. An ethical essay should have a well-defined introduction, body, and conclusion section as its structure. When planning your ideas, make sure that the introduction and conclusion are around 20 percent of the paper, leaving the rest to the body. We will take a detailed look at what each part entails and give examples that are going to help you understand them better.  Refer to our essay structure examples to find a fitting way of organizing your writing.

Ethics Paper Introduction

An ethics essay introduction gives a synopsis of your main argument. One step on how to write an introduction for an ethics paper is telling about the topic and describing its background information. This paragraph should be brief and straight to the point. It informs readers what your position is on that issue. Start with an essay hook to generate interest from your audience. It can be a question you will address or a misunderstanding that leads up to your main argument. You can also add more perspectives to be discussed; this will inform readers on what to expect in the paper.

Ethics Essay Introduction Example

You can find many ethics essay introduction examples on the internet. In this guide, we have written an excellent extract to demonstrate how it should be structured. As you read, examine how it begins with a hook and then provides background information on an issue. 

Imagine living in a world where people only lie, and honesty is becoming a scarce commodity. Indeed, modern society is facing this reality as truth and deception can no longer be separated. Technology has facilitated a quick transmission of voluminous information, whereas it's hard separating facts from opinions.

In this example, the first sentence of the introduction makes a claim or uses a question to hook the reader.

Ethics Essay Thesis Statement

An ethics paper must contain a thesis statement in the first paragraph. Learning how to write a thesis statement for an ethics paper is necessary as readers often look at it to gauge whether the essay is worth their time.

When you deviate away from the thesis, your whole paper loses meaning. In ethics essays, your thesis statement is a roadmap in writing, stressing your position on the problem and giving reasons for taking that stance. It should focus on a specific element of the issue being discussed. When writing a thesis statement, ensure that you can easily make arguments for or against its stance.

Ethical Paper Thesis Example

Look at this example of an ethics paper thesis statement and examine how well it has been written to state a position and provide reasons for doing so:

The moral implications of dishonesty are far-reaching as they undermine trust, integrity, and other foundations of society, damaging personal and professional relationships. 

The above thesis statement example is clear and concise, indicating that this paper will highlight the effects of dishonesty in society. Moreover, it focuses on aspects of personal and professional relationships.

Ethics Essay Body

The body section is the heart of an ethics paper as it presents the author's main points. In an ethical essay, each body paragraph has several elements that should explain your main idea. These include:

• A topic sentence that is precise and reiterates your stance on the issue.
• Evidence supporting it.
• Examples that illustrate your argument.
• A thorough analysis showing how the evidence and examples relate to that issue.
• A transition sentence that connects one paragraph to another with the help of essay transitions .

When you write an ethics essay, adding relevant examples strengthens your main point and makes it easy for others to understand and comprehend your argument. 

Body Paragraph for Ethics Paper Example

A good body paragraph must have a well-defined topic sentence that makes a claim and includes evidence and examples to support it. Look at part of an example of ethics essay body paragraph below and see how its idea has been developed:

Honesty is an essential component of professional integrity. In many fields, trust and credibility are crucial for professionals to build relationships and success. For example, a doctor who is dishonest about a potential side effect of a medication is not only acting unethically but also putting the health and well-being of their patients at risk. Similarly, a dishonest businessman could achieve short-term benefits but will lose their client’s trust.

Ethics Essay Conclusion

A concluding paragraph shares the summary and overview of the author's main arguments. Many students need clarification on what should be included in the essay conclusion and how best to get a reader's attention. When writing an ethics paper conclusion, consider the following:

• Restate the thesis statement to emphasize your position.
• Summarize its main points and evidence.
• Final thoughts on the issue and any other considerations.

You can also reflect on the topic or acknowledge any possible challenges or questions that have not been answered. A closing statement should present a call to action on the problem based on your position.

Sample Ethics Paper Conclusion

The conclusion paragraph restates the thesis statement and summarizes the arguments presented in that paper. The sample conclusion for an ethical essay example below demonstrates how you should write a concluding statement.  

In conclusion, the implications of dishonesty and the importance of honesty in our lives cannot be overstated. Honesty builds solid relationships, effective communication, and better decision-making. This essay has explored how dishonesty impacts people and that we should value honesty. We hope this essay will help readers assess their behavior and work towards being more honest in their lives.

In the above extract, the writer gives final thoughts on the topic, urging readers to adopt honest behavior.

How to Write an Ethics Paper?

As you learn how to write an ethics essay, it is not advised to immediately choose a topic and begin writing. When you follow this method, you will get stuck or fail to present concrete ideas. A good writer understands the importance of planning. As a fact, you should organize your work and ensure it captures key elements that shed more light on your arguments. Hence, following the essay structure and creating an outline to guide your writing process is the best approach. In the following segment, we have highlighted step-by-step techniques on how to write a good ethics paper.

1. Pick a Topic

Before writing ethical papers, brainstorm to find ideal topics that can be easily debated. For starters, make a list, then select a title that presents a moral issue that may be explained and addressed from opposing sides. Make sure you choose one that interests you. Here are a few ideas to help you search for topics:

• Review current trends affecting people.
• Think about your personal experiences.
• Study different moral theories and principles.
• Examine classical moral dilemmas.

Once you find a suitable topic and are ready, start to write your ethics essay, conduct preliminary research, and ascertain that there are enough sources to support it.

2. Conduct In-Depth Research

Once you choose a topic for your essay, the next step is gathering sufficient information about it. Conducting in-depth research entails looking through scholarly journals to find credible material. Ensure you note down all sources you found helpful to assist you on how to write your ethics paper. Use the following steps to help you conduct your research:

• Clearly state and define a problem you want to discuss.
• This will guide your research process.
• Develop keywords that match the topic.
• Begin searching from a wide perspective. This will allow you to collect more information, then narrow it down by using the identified words above.

3. Develop an Ethics Essay Outline

An outline will ease up your writing process when developing an ethic essay. As you develop a paper on ethics, jot down factual ideas that will build your paragraphs for each section. Include the following steps in your process:

• Review the topic and information gathered to write a thesis statement.
• Identify the main arguments you want to discuss and include their evidence.
• Group them into sections, each presenting a new idea that supports the thesis.
• Write an outline.
• Review and refine it.

Examples can also be included to support your main arguments. The structure should be sequential, coherent, and with a good flow from beginning to end. When you follow all steps, you can create an engaging and organized outline that will help you write a good essay.

4. Write an Ethics Essay

Once you have selected a topic, conducted research, and outlined your main points, you can begin writing an essay . Ensure you adhere to the ethics paper format you have chosen. Start an ethics paper with an overview of your topic to capture the readers' attention. Build upon your paper by avoiding ambiguous arguments and using the outline to help you write your essay on ethics. Finish the introduction paragraph with a thesis statement that explains your main position.  Expand on your thesis statement in all essay paragraphs. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence and provide evidence plus an example to solidify your argument, strengthen the main point, and let readers see the reasoning behind your stance. Finally, conclude the essay by restating your thesis statement and summarizing all key ideas. Your conclusion should engage the reader, posing questions or urging them to reflect on the issue and how it will impact them.

5. Proofread Your Ethics Essay

Proofreading your essay is the last step as you countercheck any grammatical or structural errors in your essay. When writing your ethic paper, typical mistakes you could encounter include the following:

• Spelling errors: e.g., there, they’re, their.
• Homophone words: such as new vs. knew.
• Inconsistencies: like mixing British and American words, e.g., color vs. color.
• Formatting issues: e.g., double spacing, different font types.

While proofreading your ethical issue essay, read it aloud to detect lexical errors or ambiguous phrases that distort its meaning. Verify your information and ensure it is relevant and up-to-date. You can ask your fellow student to read the essay and give feedback on its structure and quality.

Ethics Essay Examples

Writing an essay is challenging without the right steps. There are so many ethics paper examples on the internet, however, we have provided a list of free ethics essay examples below that are well-structured and have a solid argument to help you write your paper. Click on them and see how each writing step has been integrated. Ethics essay example 1

Ethics essay example 2

Ethics essay example 3

Ethics essay example 4

College ethics essay example 5

Ethics Essay Writing Tips

When writing papers on ethics, here are several tips to help you complete an excellent essay:

• Choose a narrow topic and avoid broad subjects, as it is easy to cover the topic in detail.
• Ensure you have background information. A good understanding of a topic can make it easy to apply all necessary moral theories and principles in writing your paper.
• State your position clearly. It is important to be sure about your stance as it will allow you to draft your arguments accordingly.
• When writing ethics essays, be mindful of your audience. Provide arguments that they can understand.
• Integrate solid examples into your essay. Morality can be hard to understand; therefore, using them will help a reader grasp these concepts.

Bottom Line on Writing an Ethics Paper

Creating this essay is a common exercise in academics that allows students to build critical skills. When you begin writing, state your stance on an issue and provide arguments to support your position. This guide gives information on how to write an ethics essay as well as examples of ethics papers. Remember to follow these points in your writing:

• Create an outline highlighting your main points.
• Write an effective introduction and provide background information on an issue.
• Include a thesis statement.
• Develop concrete arguments and their counterarguments, and use examples.
• Sum up all your key points in your conclusion and restate your thesis statement.

Contact our academic writing platform and have your challenge solved. Here, you can order essays and papers on any topic and enjoy top quality. 

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Essay on Ethics for Students and Children

500+ words essay on ethics.

Essay on Ethics – Ethics refers to the concepts of right and wrong conduct. Furthermore, ethics is basically a branch of philosophy dealing with the issue of morality. Moreover, ethics consist of the rules of behavior. It certainly defines how a person should behave in specific situations. The origin of ethics is old and it started from the Stone Age . Most noteworthy, over the centuries many religions and philosophers have made contributions to ethics.

Branches of Ethics

First of all, comes the descriptive branch of ethics. Descriptive ethics involve what people actually believe to be right or wrong. On the basis of this, the law decides whether certain human actions are acceptable or not. Most noteworthy, the moral principles of society keep changing from time to time. Therefore, descriptive ethics are also known as comparative ethics. This is because; it compares the ethics of past and present as well as ethics of one society and another.

Normative ethics is another important branch of ethics. Moreover, Normative ethics deals with certain norms or set of considerations. Furthermore, these norms or set of considerations dictate how one should act. Therefore, normative ethics sets out the rightness or wrongness of actions or behaviours. Another name for normative ethics is prescriptive ethics. This is because; it has principles which determine whether an action is right or wrong.

Meta-ethics consists of the origin of the ethical concepts themselves. Meta-ethics is not concerned whether an action is good or evil. Rather, meta-ethics questions what morality itself is. Therefore, meta-ethics questions the very essence of goodness or rightness. Most noteworthy, it is a highly abstract way of analyzing ethics.

Applied ethics involves philosophical examination or certain private and public life issues. Furthermore, this examination of issues takes place from a moral standpoint. Moreover, this branch of ethics is very essential for professionals. Also, these professionals belong to different walks of life and include doctors , teachers , administrators, rulers.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Applications of Ethics

Bioethicists deal with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, and philosophy. Furthermore, Bioethics refers to the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine .

Ethics also have a significant application in business. Moreover, business ethics examines ethical principles in relation to a business environment.

Military ethics involve the questions regarding the application of ethos of the soldier. Furthermore, military ethics involves the laws of war. Moreover, it also includes the question of justification of initiating military force.

Public sector ethics deals with a set of principles that guide public officials in their service. Furthermore, the public sector involves the morality of decision making. Most noteworthy, it consists of the question of what best serves the public’s interests.

In conclusion, ethics is certainly one of the most important requirements of humanity. Furthermore, without ethics, the world would have been an evil and chaotic place. Also, the advancement of humanity is not possible without ethics. There must be widespread awareness of ethics among the youth of society.

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Introduction of moral codes

• Problems of divine origin
• Nonhuman behaviour
• Kinship and reciprocity
• Anthropology and ethics
• The Middle East
• Ancient Greece
• The Epicureans
• Ethics in the New Testament
• St. Augustine
• St. Thomas Aquinas and the Scholastics
• Machiavelli
• The first Protestants
• Early intuitionists: Cudworth, More, and Clarke
• Shaftesbury and the moral sense school
• Butler on self-interest and conscience
• The climax of moral sense theory: Hutcheson and Hume
• The intuitionist response: Price and Reid
• Moore and the naturalistic fallacy
• Modern intuitionism
• Existentialism
• Universal prescriptivism
• Moral realism
• Kantian constructivism: a middle ground?
• Irrealist views: projectivism and expressivism
• Ethics and reasons for action
• The debate over consequentialism
• Varieties of consequentialism
• Objections to consequentialism
• An ethics of prima facie duties
• Rawls’s theory of justice
• Rights theories
• Natural law ethics
• Virtue ethics
• Feminist ethics
• Ethical egoism
• Environmental ethics
• War and peace
• Abortion, euthanasia, and the value of human life

What is ethics?

How is ethics different from morality, why does ethics matter, is ethics a social science.

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• Business LibreTexts - What is Ethics?
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Ethics and Contrastivism
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Empathy and Sympathy in Ethics
• VIVA Open Publishing - Ethics and Society - Ethical Behavior and Moral Values in Everyday Life
• Philosophy Basics - Ethics
• American Medical Association - Journal of Ethics - Triage and Ethics
• Psychology Today - Ethics and Morality
• Government of Canada - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat - What is ethics?
• Cornell Law School - Legal Information Institute - Ethics
• ethics and morality - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

The term ethics may refer to the philosophical study of the concepts of moral right and wrong and moral good and bad, to any philosophical theory of what is morally right and wrong or morally good and bad, and to any system or code of moral rules, principles, or values. The last may be associated with particular religions , cultures, professions, or virtually any other group that is at least partly characterized by its moral outlook.

Traditionally, ethics referred to the philosophical study of morality, the latter being a more or less systematic set of beliefs, usually held in common by a group, about how people should live. Ethics also referred to particular philosophical theories of morality. Later the term was applied to particular (and narrower) moral codes or value systems. Ethics and morality are now used almost interchangeably in many contexts, but the name of the philosophical study remains ethics .

Ethics matters because (1) it is part of how many groups define themselves and thus part of the identity of their individual members, (2) other-regarding values in most ethical systems both reflect and foster close human relationships and mutual respect and trust, and (3) it could be “rational” for a self-interested person to be moral, because his or her self-interest is arguably best served in the long run by reciprocating the moral behaviour of others.

No. Understood as equivalent to morality, ethics could be studied as a social-psychological or historical phenomenon, but in that case it would be an object of social-scientific study, not a social science in itself. Understood as the philosophical study of moral concepts, ethics is a branch of philosophy , not of social science.

Trusted Britannica articles, summarized using artificial intelligence, to provide a quicker and simpler reading experience. This is a beta feature. Please verify important information in our full article.

This summary was created from our Britannica article using AI. Please verify important information in our full article.

ethics , the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong. The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or principles.

(Read Britannica’s biography of this author, Peter Singer.)

How should we live? Shall we aim at happiness or at knowledge, virtue , or the creation of beautiful objects? If we choose happiness, will it be our own or the happiness of all? And what of the more particular questions that face us: is it right to be dishonest in a good cause? Can we justify living in opulence while elsewhere in the world people are starving? Is going to war justified in cases where it is likely that innocent people will be killed? Is it wrong to clone a human being or to destroy human embryos in medical research? What are our obligations, if any, to the generations of humans who will come after us and to the nonhuman animals with whom we share the planet?

Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making , and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong .

The terms ethics and morality are closely related. It is now common to refer to ethical judgments or to ethical principles where it once would have been more accurate to speak of moral judgments or moral principles. These applications are an extension of the meaning of ethics. In earlier usage, the term referred not to morality itself but to the field of study, or branch of inquiry, that has morality as its subject matter. In this sense, ethics is equivalent to moral philosophy .

Although ethics has always been viewed as a branch of philosophy, its all-embracing practical nature links it with many other areas of study, including anthropology , biology , economics , history , politics , sociology , and theology . Yet, ethics remains distinct from such disciplines because it is not a matter of factual knowledge in the way that the sciences and other branches of inquiry are. Rather, it has to do with determining the nature of normative theories and applying these sets of principles to practical moral problems.

This article, then, will deal with ethics as a field of philosophy, especially as it has developed in the West. For coverage of religious conceptions of ethics and the ethical systems associated with world religions, see Buddhism ; Christianity ; Confucianism ; Hinduism ; Jainism ; Judaism ; Sikhism .

The origins of ethics

Mythical accounts.

When did ethics begin and how did it originate? If one has in mind ethics proper—i.e., the systematic study of what is morally right and wrong—it is clear that ethics could have come into existence only when human beings started to reflect on the best way to live. This reflective stage emerged long after human societies had developed some kind of morality, usually in the form of customary standards of right and wrong conduct . The process of reflection tended to arise from such customs, even if in the end it may have found them wanting. Accordingly, ethics began with the introduction of the first moral codes .

Virtually every human society has some form of myth to explain the origin of morality. In the Louvre in Paris there is a black Babylonian column with a relief showing the sun god Shamash presenting the code of laws to Hammurabi (died c. 1750 bce ), known as the Code of Hammurabi . The Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament ) account of God’s giving the Ten Commandments to Moses (flourished 14th–13th century bce ) on Mount Sinai might be considered another example. In the dialogue Protagoras by Plato (428/427–348/347 bce ), there is an avowedly mythical account of how Zeus took pity on the hapless humans, who were physically no match for the other beasts. To make up for these deficiencies, Zeus gave humans a moral sense and the capacity for law and justice , so that they could live in larger communities and cooperate with one another.

That morality should be invested with all the mystery and power of divine origin is not surprising. Nothing else could provide such strong reasons for accepting the moral law. By attributing a divine origin to morality, the priesthood became its interpreter and guardian and thereby secured for itself a power that it would not readily relinquish. This link between morality and religion has been so firmly forged that it is still sometimes asserted that there can be no morality without religion. According to this view, ethics is not an independent field of study but rather a branch of theology ( see moral theology ).

There is some difficulty, already known to Plato, with the view that morality was created by a divine power. In his dialogue Euthyphro , Plato considered the suggestion that it is divine approval that makes an action good . Plato pointed out that, if this were the case, one could not say that the gods approve of such actions because they are good. Why then do they approve of them? Is their approval entirely arbitrary? Plato considered this impossible and so held that there must be some standards of right or wrong that are independent of the likes and dislikes of the gods. Modern philosophers have generally accepted Plato’s argument, because the alternative implies that if, for example, the gods had happened to approve of torturing children and to disapprove of helping one’s neighbours, then torture would have been good and neighbourliness bad.

How to Write an Ethics Short Essay

An ethics short essay must be argumentative and focus on a moral issue that is up for debate. It should evoke differing opinions and contain arguments and counterarguments as well as supporting evidence. There are three common types of ethics essays, Public sector, Military, and Philosophy of religion. Here is a brief guide to writing an ethics short essay. A well-written ethics paper can help you score high marks and gain entrance into top universities and colleges.

Professional ethics

There are many reasons for practicing professional ethics. First, it contributes to a person’s success, which is an important reason for a company to provide a written code of ethics to its employees. Second, conflicting ethical codes can cause confusion, which can result in politics and conflict. Professional organizations cannot afford to have warring factions. So, how can we make professional ethics an essential part of our lives? Let’s examine a few of the most common reasons for practicing professional ethics and how we can improve our daily work.

Military ethics

If you’re a member of the armed forces, you’re probably very aware of the importance of military ethics. As a matter of fact, military ethics are fundamental to military life. These values should be inculcated into the minds of all members of the military. After all, they are meant to become the norm, not the exception. But how do you ensure that military personnel uphold these ethical principles? Here are some tips.

First, you must understand that wars can be justified if they are proportionate to the threat. Moreover, the principle of discrimination is essential to just war thinking. For example, before World War II, world leaders publicly declared that indiscriminate bombing of cities was not acceptable. This principle was upheld by daylight precision bombing, but it was not practical. Instead, military officials tried to follow the principle of discrimination by targeting specific targets.

Moreover, military opponents must be treated with respect and dignity. Warfare must not be motivated by revenge or pleasure, and the use of force against civilians must only be justified when a military’s actions have a clear purpose, such as defending the community. But it should also be remembered that there are times when a military should engage in indiscriminate killing. Ultimately, military ethics should help the soldiers internalize these values.

Public sector ethics

The public sector is a large organization that seeks to resolve issues related to public welfare. While it is vital to be ethical in business practices, it is also critical to have a strong moral compass and earn the confidence of the public. In a democracy, public opinion has the most power, so gaining that confidence is imperative. Further, public sector ethics help companies establish common goals and values. Ultimately, ethics help public institutions and companies achieve those goals.

Often, public servants try to divert criticism to other levels of the system. They mention other wrongdoings in the institution and argue that the violations should not be made public. However, these public servants fail to recognize that there is a wider scope to ethics than what is found in statutes. Public sector employees are often tempted to disregard ethical principles in favor of their own economic survival. In such cases, they may end up in a situation that is more problematic than they were originally.

In a public sector, officials are under a special responsibility to represent society and serve the citizens. Ethical principles are often different from personal values, and this can make public officials vulnerable to breaking the rules of their profession. Yet, in some cases, the consequences of misconduct are high and the public is often unaware of the misconduct. In some cases, citizens are even the direct victims of such misconduct. In such a scenario, it is essential to understand the public sector ethics and its impact on society.

Philosophy of religion

What is the Big Question of Philosophy of Religion ? The Big Question asks how we can sort various kinds of ultimacies, including the ones related to reality and death, and how they relate to religious experiences and beliefs. Philosophers of religion engage in ongoing discussions of how to determine which types of ultimacies are real and which are not. This article outlines one important philosophical question and its answer. This essay demonstrates how philosophers of religion use the Big Question to explore religion.

Throughout history, philosophers have attempted to explain the concept of God, and the many grounds people have offered to justify their belief. Many related topics are also discussed, including the relationship between reason and faith, the nature of religious language, and the question of how a good God can allow evil. While philosophers of religion may seem very different, their work relates to one another. Therefore, philosophers of religion can be categorized as either general or specific.

Throughout history, philosophers of religion have grappled with such questions as God’s omniscience, and the relationship between religion and morality. Other controversial issues have included the nature of religious language and the relationship between faith and morality. Philosophers of religion have struggled with these issues and argued that people should be free to say what they think, regardless of whether it is correct or wrong. Ultimately, the debate about the nature of reality is a fundamental one that cannot be solved with any philosophical system.

Normative ethics

Normative ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the standard of conduct, and therefore the right thing to do. The study of morality, however, involves much more than deciding which actions are morally right and which are wrong. Rather, it analyzes the morality of the actions by considering their consequences. A short essay on Normative ethics will explore the basic concept of moral standards, and will highlight the difference between deontological and teleological theories.

Normative ethics focuses on moral principles and virtues. It asks where these moral values are derived. Some well-known philosophers, including Michel de Montaigne and Friedrich Nietzsche, advocated a “moral relativism” approach that denied that there were any absolute moral standards. Moreover, normative ethics does not deal with metaphysical questions, such as whether there is a god or an ideal. It deals with semantic, epistemological, and psychological inquiries.

Normative ethics can be broadly applied to many practical issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, animal rights, and criminal punishment. It also often makes use of meta-ethical tools, such as ethical realism and consequentialism. A short essay on Normative ethics can be useful for students. It can serve as a model for an assignment or guide to research. You can also use your peers’ essays as a resource for ideas.

Importance of ethics in a peaceful and harmonious society

As a social construct, ethics play a vital role in defining individual behaviour. Since the dawn of civilization, men have sought to keep human conduct in check. Today, written law rules official business and happenings, but ethics are an unsung force balancing the interests of human beings and society. While written law is often adequate to protect individuals and society, it cannot prevent the ravages of unethical behavior.

The implication of the term harmonious society is profound. It could mean anything from a stable democracy to a thriving socialism. It can also mean living harmoniously with nature and with each other. This is possible through the establishment of a legal system and cultural norms that promote fairness and a culture of rule of law. A harmonious society will promote these aspects. This is the essence of a society.

In addition to its value for humanity, peace and harmony improve economic and social conditions. It also fosters individual creativity and promotes sustainable development of nations. In this way, it also promotes human health. Peace means a world where everyone can work together in harmony, and harmony translates into a healthier society. And it means dealing with disputes in a fair and equitable manner, avoiding violence, and using the Middle Way principles to resolve conflicts.

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Ethics Essay | Essay on Ethics for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Ethics Essay: The world is beset with falsified ideologies, with people who want to exploit each other in the fields of education, business, politics. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that in addition to the rule of law, some guiding principles as to how we must conduct ourselves in society and our institutions must be set.

Throughout history, from the time of Greek philosophers like Aristotle, mankind has genuinely wondered about the topic of ethics and tried to derive universal moral principles governing behavior. Our modern understanding of ethics can help us create a better world by becoming better and more caring citizens.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essays on Ethics for Students and Kids in English

A long essay has been provided below; it is of 450-500 words. A short essay of 100-150 words has also been given.

Long Essay on Ethics 500 words in English

Ethics Essay is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Ethics are basic standards or ideals that regulate the actions of a person or a community. This is not a responsibility to bear, but a wise and successful guide to existence and progress. Ethics is essential in business, as well as in academic institutions and social structures because it is a crucial cornerstone on which an enlightened system is built.

It is often not the same to be following legal rules and being ethical. Law, like, emotions, will deviate from what’s moral. The practice of sati in India and the abhorrent rules governing apartheid and slavery in South Africa are examples of laws and customs which are not ethical.

Being ethical is not similar to following “whatever the predominant culture allows.” In every community, most citizens follow values that are, in essence, ethical. But behavioral standards in society can deviate from moral standards. Culture, as a whole, may become immoral and unethical. Nazi Germany is a perfect example of a culture that is politically compromised.

Academic dishonesty is yet another component of unethical conduct. It is a behavior or an attempt that involves the creation of an unfair academic benefit for oneself or a disadvantage for any other representative of the educational institutions.

The family has a powerful impact on one’s beliefs and actions, parents create guidelines from the beginning, and they are the foundation of our ethics and morals. Devotion to individual values is part of what makes a student effective. Lack of ethical dedication will always lead to academic incompetence.

Social principles and social standards have declined over time. As a consequence, the number of crimes such as killings, robberies, gang assaults, kidnappings, extortion, grab and run cases, and criminal activities such as vandalism, hoarding, substance trafficking, etc. has increased in just some very few years. Learning and astuteness have taken the shape of ambition, envy, destructive rivalry, and the lure of quick income, which is entirely counterproductive to a stable and safe social existence.

Citizens have lost faith and been greedy in their purposes, and thus, in people’s lives, principles and morals have diminished and lost meaning. An individual with ethical values is interested in the right actions, and he also knows it internally. The individual doing evil acts at the same time may sometimes consider it correct to adjust to the social structure in which he or she lives but has terrible morals.

If a person’s moral and ethical values have plummeted, he or she will never feel any guilt or anxiety in executing misdeeds or even a severe offense, as is suitable to his or her morals and ethics. Much of the time, it is the context and the way an individual is raised that determines his acts and, thus, his morals and ethics.

If we’re to see a world with a relatively low rate of violent crime and where all human beings can reside peacefully, we need to look at the values and ethics that our sculptures and religious leaders teach. We will shoulder the pressure of making our world and, in turn, transform our planet into a beautiful place where all human beings will lead a life with integrity and dignity without terror in their minds.

Short Essay on Ethics 100 words in English

Ethics Essay is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Ethics can be defined as established standards of right and wrong that prescribe what people should do, usually in terms of human rights, responsibilities, advantages to social order, honesty, or specific core values. Ethical principles also include those which enjoin the values of authenticity, justice, and integrity. Ethics involves the demands for personal freedom, liberty, and the right to free will and privacy. These principles are acceptable ethical guidelines as a clear and well-founded reason backs them. Ethics also requires a constant attempt to research our spiritual values and moral behavior and to try to guarantee that we, and the organizations we help form, perform up to expectations that are fair and ethical

10 Lines on Ethics Essay in English

• Being ethical can help you to become a better human being.
• Ethics relates to established standards of right and wrong, usually created by society.
• Ethics does not mean mere conformity to societal norms.
• Personal enrichment and growth depend on the ability to redefine ethical values as we grow older.
• Being ethical means refraining from theft, robbery, harming other people who do not harm you.
• Most laws of countries are based on ethical values.
• Academic honesty and being ethically correct will lead to greater academic success.
• Being ethical will help you to be confident and assertive.
• It is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of ethics to help other people who are in trouble.
• It is essential to understand which acts are morally dishonest so that you can lead a better life.

FAQ’s on Ethics Essay

Question 1. Does ethics mean just obeying laws?

Answer: Some laws are regressive and discriminatory against women, religions, communities. Such acts are ethically or morally wrong. Therefore, ethics refers to analyzing the basis behind laws and understanding whether they are right or wrong.

Question 2. How can you be ethical?

Answer: You can be ethical by refraining from dishonest acts like stealing, looting, cheating, and being truthful to yourself and others.

Question 3. Is being ethical important?

Answer: Yes, being ethical is important. With ethics comes self-respect and self-esteem. It is an integral part.

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Ethics guide

Ethics: a general introduction

Ethics are a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is good for individuals and society.

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What is ethics, what use is ethics, ethics and people, are ethical statements objectively true, four ethical 'isms', where does ethics come from, are there universal moral rules, page options.

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At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives.

Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy.

The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character or disposition.

Ethics covers the following dilemmas:

• how to live a good life
• our rights and responsibilities
• the language of right and wrong
• moral decisions - what is good and bad?

Our concepts of ethics have been derived from religions, philosophies and cultures. They infuse debates on topics like abortion, human rights and professional conduct.

Approaches to ethics

Philosophers nowadays tend to divide ethical theories into three areas: metaethics, normative ethics and applied ethics.

• Meta-ethics deals with the nature of moral judgement. It looks at the origins and meaning of ethical principles.
• Normative ethics is concerned with the content of moral judgements and the criteria for what is right or wrong.
• Applied ethics looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights and capital punishment

If ethical theories are to be useful in practice, they need to affect the way human beings behave.

Some philosophers think that ethics does do this. They argue that if a person realises that it would be morally good to do something then it would be irrational for that person not to do it.

But human beings often behave irrationally - they follow their 'gut instinct' even when their head suggests a different course of action.

However, ethics does provide good tools for thinking about moral issues.

Ethics can provide a moral map

Most moral issues get us pretty worked up - think of abortion and euthanasia for starters. Because these are such emotional issues we often let our hearts do the arguing while our brains just go with the flow.

But there's another way of tackling these issues, and that's where philosophers can come in - they offer us ethical rules and principles that enable us to take a cooler view of moral problems.

So ethics provides us with a moral map, a framework that we can use to find our way through difficult issues.

Ethics can pinpoint a disagreement

Using the framework of ethics, two people who are arguing a moral issue can often find that what they disagree about is just one particular part of the issue, and that they broadly agree on everything else.

That can take a lot of heat out of the argument, and sometimes even hint at a way for them to resolve their problem.

But sometimes ethics doesn't provide people with the sort of help that they really want.

Ethics doesn't give right answers

Ethics doesn't always show the right answer to moral problems.

Indeed more and more people think that for many ethical issues there isn't a single right answer - just a set of principles that can be applied to particular cases to give those involved some clear choices.

Some philosophers go further and say that all ethics can do is eliminate confusion and clarify the issues. After that it's up to each individual to come to their own conclusions.

Ethics can give several answers

Many people want there to be a single right answer to ethical questions. They find moral ambiguity hard to live with because they genuinely want to do the 'right' thing, and even if they can't work out what that right thing is, they like the idea that 'somewhere' there is one right answer.

But often there isn't one right answer - there may be several right answers, or just some least worst answers - and the individual must choose between them.

For others moral ambiguity is difficult because it forces them to take responsibility for their own choices and actions, rather than falling back on convenient rules and customs.

Ethics is about the 'other'

At the heart of ethics is a concern about something or someone other than ourselves and our own desires and self-interest.

Ethics is concerned with other people's interests, with the interests of society, with God's interests, with "ultimate goods", and so on.

So when a person 'thinks ethically' they are giving at least some thought to something beyond themselves.

Ethics as source of group strength

One problem with ethics is the way it's often used as a weapon.

If a group believes that a particular activity is "wrong" it can then use morality as the justification for attacking those who practice that activity.

When people do this, they often see those who they regard as immoral as in some way less human or deserving of respect than themselves; sometimes with tragic consequences.

Good people as well as good actions

Ethics is not only about the morality of particular courses of action, but it's also about the goodness of individuals and what it means to live a good life.

Virtue Ethics is particularly concerned with the moral character of human beings.

Searching for the source of right and wrong

At times in the past some people thought that ethical problems could be solved in one of two ways:

• by discovering what God wanted people to do
• by thinking rigorously about moral principles and problems

If a person did this properly they would be led to the right conclusion.

But now even philosophers are less sure that it's possible to devise a satisfactory and complete theory of ethics - at least not one that leads to conclusions.

Modern thinkers often teach that ethics leads people not to conclusions but to 'decisions'.

In this view, the role of ethics is limited to clarifying 'what's at stake' in particular ethical problems.

Philosophy can help identify the range of ethical methods, conversations and value systems that can be applied to a particular problem. But after these things have been made clear, each person must make their own individual decision as to what to do, and then react appropriately to the consequences.

Do ethical statements provide information about anything other than human opinions and attitudes?

• Ethical realists think that human beings discover ethical truths that already have an independent existence.
• Ethical non-realists think that human beings invent ethical truths.

The problem for ethical realists is that people follow many different ethical codes and moral beliefs. So if there are real ethical truths out there (wherever!) then human beings don't seem to be very good at discovering them.

One form of ethical realism teaches that ethical properties exist independently of human beings, and that ethical statements give knowledge about the objective world.

To put it another way; the ethical properties of the world and the things in it exist and remain the same, regardless of what people think or feel - or whether people think or feel about them at all.

On the face of it, it [ethical realism] means the view that moral qualities such as wrongness, and likewise moral facts such as the fact that an act was wrong, exist in rerum natura, so that, if one says that a certain act was wrong, one is saying that there existed, somehow, somewhere, this quality of wrongness, and that it had to exist there if that act were to be wrong. R. M Hare, Essays in Ethical Theory, 1989

When a person says "murder is bad" what are they doing?

That's the sort of question that only a philosopher would ask, but it's actually a very useful way of getting a clear idea of what's going on when people talk about moral issues.

The different 'isms' regard the person uttering the statement as doing different things.

We can show some of the different things I might be doing when I say 'murder is bad' by rewriting that statement to show what I really mean:

• "It is wrong to murder"
• This is moral realism
• "I disapprove of murder"
• This is subjectivism
• "Down with murder"
• This is emotivism
• "Don't murder people"
• This is prescriptivism

Moral realism

Moral realism is based on the idea that there are real objective moral facts or truths in the universe. Moral statements provide factual information about those truths.

Subjectivism

Subjectivism teaches that moral judgments are nothing more than statements of a person's feelings or attitudes, and that ethical statements do not contain factual truths about goodness or badness.

In more detail: subjectivists say that moral statements are statements about the feelings, attitudes and emotions that that particular person or group has about a particular issue.

If a person says something is good or bad they are telling us about the positive or negative feelings that they have about that something.

So if someone says 'murder is wrong' they are telling us that they disapprove of murder.

These statements are true if the person does hold the appropriate attitude or have the appropriate feelings. They are false if the person doesn't.

Emotivism is the view that moral claims are no more than expressions of approval or disapproval.

This sounds like subjectivism, but in emotivism a moral statement doesn't provide information about the speaker's feelings about the topic but expresses those feelings .

When an emotivist says "murder is wrong" it's like saying "down with murder" or "murder, yecch!" or just saying "murder" while pulling a horrified face, or making a thumbs-down gesture at the same time as saying "murder is wrong".

So when someone makes a moral judgement they show their feelings about something. Some theorists also suggest that in expressing a feeling the person gives an instruction to others about how to act towards the subject matter.

Prescriptivism

Prescriptivists think that ethical statements are instructions or recommendations.

So if I say something is good, I'm recommending you to do it, and if I say something is bad, I'm telling you not to do it.

There is almost always a prescriptive element in any real-world ethical statement: any ethical statement can be reworked (with a bit of effort) into a statement with an 'ought' in it. For example: "lying is wrong" can be rewritten as "people ought not to tell lies".

Philosophers have several answers to this question:

• God and religion
• Human conscience and intuition
• a rational moral cost-benefit analysis of actions and their effects
• the example of good human beings
• a desire for the best for people in each unique situation
• political power

God-based ethics - supernaturalism

Supernaturalism makes ethics inseparable from religion. It teaches that the only source of moral rules is God.

So, something is good because God says it is, and the way to lead a good life is to do what God wants.

Intuitionism

Intuitionists think that good and bad are real objective properties that can't be broken down into component parts. Something is good because it's good; its goodness doesn't need justifying or proving.

Intuitionists think that goodness or badness can be detected by adults - they say that human beings have an intuitive moral sense that enables them to detect real moral truths.

They think that basic moral truths of what is good and bad are self-evident to a person who directs their mind towards moral issues.

So good things are the things that a sensible person realises are good if they spend some time pondering the subject.

Don't get confused. For the intuitionist:

• moral truths are not discovered by rational argument
• moral truths are not discovered by having a hunch
• moral truths are not discovered by having a feeling

It's more a sort of moral 'aha' moment - a realisation of the truth.

Consequentialism

This is the ethical theory that most non-religious people think they use every day. It bases morality on the consequences of human actions and not on the actions themselves.

Consequentialism teaches that people should do whatever produces the greatest amount of good consequences.

One famous way of putting this is 'the greatest good for the greatest number of people'.

The most common forms of consequentialism are the various versions of utilitarianism, which favour actions that produce the greatest amount of happiness.

Despite its obvious common-sense appeal, consequentialism turns out to be a complicated theory, and doesn't provide a complete solution to all ethical problems.

Two problems with consequentialism are:

• it can lead to the conclusion that some quite dreadful acts are good
• predicting and evaluating the consequences of actions is often very difficult

Non-consequentialism or deontological ethics

Non-consequentialism is concerned with the actions themselves and not with the consequences. It's the theory that people are using when they refer to "the principle of the thing".

It teaches that some acts are right or wrong in themselves, whatever the consequences, and people should act accordingly.

Virtue ethics

Virtue ethics looks at virtue or moral character, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of actions - indeed some philosophers of this school deny that there can be such things as universal ethical rules.

Virtue ethics is particularly concerned with the way individuals live their lives, and less concerned in assessing particular actions.

It develops the idea of good actions by looking at the way virtuous people express their inner goodness in the things that they do.

To put it very simply, virtue ethics teaches that an action is right if and only if it is an action that a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances, and that a virtuous person is someone who has a particularly good character.

Situation ethics

Situation ethics rejects prescriptive rules and argues that individual ethical decisions should be made according to the unique situation.

Rather than following rules the decision maker should follow a desire to seek the best for the people involved. There are no moral rules or rights - each case is unique and deserves a unique solution.

Ethics and ideology

Some philosophers teach that ethics is the codification of political ideology, and that the function of ethics is to state, enforce and preserve particular political beliefs.

They usually go on to say that ethics is used by the dominant political elite as a tool to control everyone else.

More cynical writers suggest that power elites enforce an ethical code on other people that helps them control those people, but do not apply this code to their own behaviour.

One of the big questions in moral philosophy is whether or not there are unchanging moral rules that apply in all cultures and at all times.

Moral absolutism

Some people think there are such universal rules that apply to everyone. This sort of thinking is called moral absolutism.

Moral absolutism argues that there are some moral rules that are always true, that these rules can be discovered and that these rules apply to everyone.

Immoral acts - acts that break these moral rules - are wrong in themselves, regardless of the circumstances or the consequences of those acts.

Absolutism takes a universal view of humanity - there is one set of rules for everyone - which enables the drafting of universal rules - such as the Declaration of Human Rights.

Religious views of ethics tend to be absolutist.

Why people disagree with moral absolutism:

• Many of us feel that the consequences of an act or the circumstances surrounding it are relevant to whether that act is good or bad
• Absolutism doesn't fit with respect for diversity and tradition

Moral relativism

Moral relativists say that if you look at different cultures or different periods in history you'll find that they have different moral rules.

Therefore it makes sense to say that "good" refers to the things that a particular group of people approve of.

Moral relativists think that that's just fine, and dispute the idea that there are some objective and discoverable 'super-rules' that all cultures ought to obey. They believe that relativism respects the diversity of human societies and responds to the different circumstances surrounding human acts.

Why people disagree with moral relativism:

• Many of us feel that moral rules have more to them than the general agreement of a group of people - that morality is more than a super-charged form of etiquette
• Many of us think we can be good without conforming to all the rules of society
• Moral relativism has a problem with arguing against the majority view: if most people in a society agree with particular rules, that's the end of the matter. Many of the improvements in the world have come about because people opposed the prevailing ethical view - moral relativists are forced to regard such people as behaving "badly"
• Any choice of social grouping as the foundation of ethics is bound to be arbitrary
• Moral relativism doesn't provide any way to deal with moral differences between societies

Moral somewhere-in-between-ism

Most non-philosophers think that both of the above theories have some good points and think that

• there are a few absolute ethical rules
• but a lot of ethical rules depend on the culture

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WHAT IS ETHICS

Part of what makes humans unique is our freedom to determine how we’ll act..

Whenever we make a choice, it was possible for us to have made a different one. The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard captures this sense when he describes standing on the edge of a cliff. The only thing that prevents us from falling into the void is us – our choice to do otherwise.

Ethics is only possible because we can act against our nature, based on our conscience. It stops us from simply describing what is likely to happen, and allows us to make judgements about what should happen. Of all the ways you might act, which is the best? Of all the possibilities, which one should you bring into reality? That’s the question ethics seeks to answer.

Of course you can only answer that question if you dare to ask it. It’s comfortable, safe and pretty common to do what’s always been done – pass responsibility onto others or stick with the status quo. Ethics asks us to take responsibility for our beliefs and our actions, and live a life that’s our own.

How do you decide?

Ethics isn’t the only way to define what the ‘best’ decision might look like. Some might see it as the one that advances their own goals and interests, or makes the most money. Others may focus on what’s likely to be the most popular choice.

At the heart of these is a nugget of ethics, but each is a distraction from the questions that matter most. Ethics defines the best option as the one which best achieves what is good, right and consistent with the nature of the things in question. At The Ethics Centre, we refer to these as ‘values’, ‘principles’ and ‘purpose’.

• Values tell us what’s good – they’re the things we strive for, desire and seek to protect.
• Principles tell us what’s right – outlining how we may or may not achieve our values.
• Purpose is your reason for being  – it gives life to your values and principles.

Ethics is the process of questioning, discovering and defending our values, principles and purpose. It’s about finding out who we are and staying true to that in the face of temptations, challenges and uncertainty. It’s not always fun and it’s hardly ever easy, but if we commit to it, we set ourselves up to make decisions we can stand by, building a life that’s truly our own and a future we want to be a part of.

Questions to guide you.

There is no ready-made way to deal with ethical challenges. They require us to respond to specific circumstances and relationships as well as the various ethical considerations – purpose, values and principles – at play.

Still, there are a few questions you can ask that can help crystalise the ethical issues for you.

1. Would I be happy for this decision to be headlining the news tomorrow?

This is known as the Sunlight Test. Imagine if your decision – and the reasons you made it – were public knowledge. What if the people you most admire knew what you’d done and why? Do you think you’d be able to defend yourself? Would other people agree, or at least understand, why you did what you did? Note – it’s the ‘don’t be ashamed’ test not the ‘don’t get caught’ test.

2. Is there an ethical non-negotiable at play?

Is there a rule that any reasonable person should apply to this situation regardless of the consequences? Some rules are unbreakable, even when the stakes are high. For instance, we should never act in ways that undermine the equality and dignity of all people – ourselves included. The rules are often associated with duties – some of which we create ourselves, like when we make a promise.

3. Will my action make the world a better place?

We often think about ethics in terms of consequences. ‘The greatest good for the greatest number’ is a maxim many people recognise and accept. Consequences are an important part of ethical decisions, but are they everything?

We should be aware of what we’re sacrificing when trying to bring about good consequences. Are we violating an important principle? Are we compromising our own values? If so, have we considered these facts when balancing harms and benefits?

4. What would happen if everybody did this?

Would you be happy if your reason for action was used by everyone in the same circumstance? If not, then what makes you so special? Most ethical frameworks suggest the right decision for one person should be right for everybody in the same position. A lot of unethical behaviour arises from people making special exceptions for themselves. This test helps us be sure we’re willing to hold ourselves to the same standards we hold others to.

5. What will this do to my character or the character of my organisation?

Many people believe that our decisions shape our character and vice versa. That is, we can’t lie and cheat without becoming a fraudulent liar. For instance, if we’re a liar we’ll tend to lie more often.

Think about whether your action is establishing a habit either for you or your organisation. Is it a good habit (virtue) or a bad one (vice)? If I cut corners on a work job today am I developing a habit of laziness that may affect my future work?

6. Is this consistent with my values and principles?

Plenty of people and organisations are happy to tell you what they stand for – but do they walk the talk? Are my actions reflecting my ethical beliefs? Most ethical systems have no time for hypocrisy.

Answering these questions doesn’t guarantee everyone will accept our decision. Moral disagreement is extremely common. But even the answer to our question doesn’t achieve universal approval, the way in which we reach those answers matters. Ethics allows us to explore these questions in a way that is sincere, rational, competent and honest.

You may also be interested in...

Consequentialism

Ethics Explainer: Existentialism

Ethics Explainer: Stoicism

What is Ethics?

• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
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• Ethical Decision Making

Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues.

Some years ago, sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked business people, "What does ethics mean to you?" Among their replies were the following:

"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong." "Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs." "Being ethical is doing what the law requires." "Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts." "I don't know what the word means."

These replies might be typical of our own. The meaning of "ethics" is hard to pin down, and the views many people have about ethics are shaky.

Like Baumhart's first respondent, many people tend to equate ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is clearly not a matter of following one's feelings. A person following his or her feelings may recoil from doing what is right. In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is ethical.

Nor should one identify ethics with religion. Most religions, of course, advocate high ethical standards. Yet if ethics were confined to religion, then ethics would apply only to religious people. But ethics applies as much to the behavior of the atheist as to that of the devout religious person. Religion can set high ethical standards and can provide intense motivations for ethical behavior. Ethics, however, cannot be confined to religion nor is it the same as religion.

Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. The law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. Our own pre-Civil War slavery laws and the old apartheid laws of present-day South Africa are grotesquely obvious examples of laws that deviate from what is ethical.

Finally, being ethical is not the same as doing "whatever society accepts." In any society, most people accept standards that are, in fact, ethical. But standards of behavior in society can deviate from what is ethical. An entire society can become ethically corrupt. Nazi Germany is a good example of a morally corrupt society.

Moreover, if being ethical were doing "whatever society accepts," then to find out what is ethical, one would have to find out what society accepts. To decide what I should think about abortion, for example, I would have to take a survey of American society and then conform my beliefs to whatever society accepts. But no one ever tries to decide an ethical issue by doing a survey. Further, the lack of social consensus on many issues makes it impossible to equate ethics with whatever society accepts. Some people accept abortion but many others do not. If being ethical were doing whatever society accepts, one would have to find an agreement on issues which does not, in fact, exist.

What, then, is ethics? Ethics is two things. First, ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty. And, ethical standards include standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy. Such standards are adequate standards of ethics because they are supported by consistent and well-founded reasons.

Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one's ethical standards. As mentioned above, feelings, laws, and social norms can deviate from what is ethical. So it is necessary to constantly examine one's standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded. Ethics also means, then, the continuous effort of studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and solidly-based.

This article appeared originally in  Issues in Ethics  IIE V1 N1 (Fall 1987). Revised in 2010.

627 Ethics Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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People make ethical choices every day, even when they do not realize it. Ethics is a debatable topic that covers many aspects of our daily life.

Ethics essays can help students to understand ethical dilemmas and problems better. Although writing an ethics essay can be challenging, we are always here to help!

Start with choosing an issue you want to discuss in the paper. Some good ethics essay topics and examples we can suggest are:

• The aspects of utilitarianism as an ethical theory
• Ethical dilemmas in the field of healthcare
• Theories that explain human behavior
• The significance of the personal code of ethics
• Should euthanasia/abortion/personal use of drugs be legal?
• Is morality related to society or culture?
• Are there moral obligations all individuals should follow?

Remember that you can discuss other ethics essay questions and topics too. Choose one of the titles that seem most relevant to you. Now you are ready to start working on your paper. Here are ten tips that will help you to write an outstanding essay:

• Research the issue you have selected thoroughly. You should gain an excellent understanding of its aspects, causes, and consequences. Try to rely on credible sources (such as peer-reviewed articles) only.
• If you are not sure that the selected problem is relevant, find an ethics essay example online. This step can also help you to analyze your ethics essay structure and see whether you should make some changes.
• Develop a good outline for your essay. Include an introductory section, several body paragraphs (at least three, if possible), and a summary or a conclusion. Note that an argumentative essay should include a refutation section too.
• Introduce your thesis statement clearly. Your reader should understand the main argument of your essay.
• Discuss all significant aspects related to ethics. Provide a definition of this term and examples of ethical dilemmas that may arise. It can make your paper more engaging to your audience.
• Avoid overly complex sentences. Your essay should look professional but be easy-to-read. Remember that in general, sentences should not be longer than 35 words.
• Discuss your perspectives on ethical issues you are presenting. State your opinion and include the recommendations you would provide. If you have relevant experiences or know people who have faced ethical dilemmas, discuss them in your paper.
• Remember that the last paragraph of the essay is important. You need to present your thesis statement once again, along with the main arguments of your work. Discuss the findings of your study and make a conclusion.
• Support your claims with evidence. Include in-text citations whenever you are referring to someone else’s work. At the same time, your paper should not include information from outside sources only. Add comments to each of the facts you are presenting.
• Check the paper several times before sending it to your professor. You need to make sure that there are no grammatical mistakes. Pay attention to the sentence structure too. An important tip would be to put your essay away for several days and revise your ideas later with “fresh” eyes. Do not hesitate to ask your peers for help in revising your essay too.

Remember to check out essay samples on our website. They are free!

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• Public Administration: The Ethical Challenges This case study of craftsmanship inspects the ethical implication of integrating the same principles of cultivating virtue and embracing collective values.
• Ethics in Advertising and Its Importance Therefore, the following essay describes why ethics in advertising is an issue that requires increased attention, the types of advertising, and the benefits of advertising.
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• Violation of Basic Ethical Principles in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study This principle was also violated during the Tuskegee Study as the subjects were not treated as autonomous agents capable of and entitled to make their own decisions concerning their treatment and participation in the study.
• Plastic Surgery In Pets. Case Studies in Ethical Choice Plastic surgery on pets also involves ethical issues. The SWOT Analysis below addresses ethical issues involved in plastic surgery on pets.
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• Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Informatics One of the basic underpinnings is the fact that confidentiality violations can result in various issues for the patient whose well-being can be threatened, which is unacceptable for the nurse whose job is to ensure […]
• Application of ethical theory This means that there are four stakeholders; James; the owner of the company, the employees, the council and the residents of the council.
• Ethical and Illegal Computer Hacking For the ethical hackers, they pursue hacking in order to identify the unexploited areas or determine weaknesses in systems in order to fix them.
• Using Food Preservatives Ethical At present, the use of chemical food preservatives have gained prevalent use as many people have become tailored to the convenience of buying food that is already prepared, instead of preparing and preserving their food.
• Ethics in Cyber Age Therefore, ethics in cyber age is the breakdown of the environment and social impact of cyber space or computer technology along with the resultant development and validation of policies regarding ethical use of the information […]
• Code of Ethics in the Hospitality Industry The culture of hotel employees’ behavior includes all the aspects of personal external and internal culture, namely, the rules of behavior and the ability to express oneself correctly and to observe speech etiquette.
• Volkswagen Group’s Corporate Governance and Ethics According to the narrow approach, corporate governance is perceived as a set of procedures and activities for governing the company in order to remain accountable to major shareholders’ interests.
• Quebec Bridge Collapse and Ethical Issues Since the commission of inquiry did find out that the change of design was one of the factors that led to the collapse of the bridge, many engineers perceive that Theodore Cooper changed the design […]
• Enron Management Practices’ Ethical Principles According to Hendrikse & Hendrikse, code of ethics refers to “the business constitution that governs relationships and behaviour among the company, its directors, management and employees, and the inter-relationship among the company, shareholders, and business […]
• Ethical Issues With Performance Enhancing Drugs in Professional Sports The spirit of sports emphasizes on the biological potential, fairness, and justice to the competitors; nevertheless, the use of performance enhancing-drugs undermines the same.
• Ethics of Data Misuse in Urban Planning Every member of the AICP is responsible to the people who give their data and are the actual consumers of the projects that the planners initiate.
• The Ethical Decision-Making (EDM) Model Principles The two possible courses of action are either unfriending Andrea and continuing to ignore her or explaining the importance of autonomy and confidentiality to the client.
• Business Ethics Differences Around the World As such, its developments will be used to explain parts of the analysis and to put the different cultures discussed in this essay into the same framework.
• Personal Values and Beliefs in Ethical Issues Therefore, the constructs of deontology have enabled me to make decisions based on my responsibilities and obligations as per the expectations of society.
• Home Care and Nurse’s Ethical and Legal Concerns The main goal of this paper is to discuss the ethical and legal responsibilities of a nurse who supports the idea that home care patients need to be cared for in a hospital, and that […]
• Factors Influencing Individuals’ Ethical Behaviour According to the researches, personal, situational, organisational, and external factors influence an individual’s ethical behaviour. In general, individual’s behaviour in an organisation is determined by both individual and situational factors.
• Abortion and Virtue Ethics Those who support the right of a woman to an abortion even after the final trimester makes the assertion that the Constitution does not provide any legal rights for a child that is still within […]
• Ethical issues in the Digital Age Since the music is copyrighted, it is also against the law to download and distribute it. This leads to the question regarding the inherent value of using the social networking sites when the repercussions are […]
• Medical Ethics in Radiography The engineering and paternal model is not applicable in modern medicine since the patient must consent to any procedure. It shows the guidelines and principles that radiographers must stick to in order to provide quality […]
• Ethics in Engineering: Goodrich A7D Brake Case The optimal involvement of the relevant stakeholders in the engineering sector is an essential initiative cause of the profound articulation of the apt operative standards.
• Ethical Dilemma in Nursing: Case Study Today, being a nurse is associated with a number of complexities due to the need to comply with diverse obligations in social, political, and healthcare segments.
• Information Technology: Ethical Issues in Computing Codes of ethics and strict laws are aimed to prevent attacks and introduce social responsibility issues in the computing field. Competition is said to encourage innovation and the development of new technologies.
• McDonald’s Ethical and Moral Dilemma Despite his dwelling on the concept of bureaucratic power, Weber says that power is the most important aspect of leadership and the followers should be the only people who grant it to the leaders.
• British Airways Ethical System
• The Role of Ethics in “Gone Baby Gone”
• The Ethics of Critique
• The Unilever Global Company’s Business Ethics
• H. B. Fuller and His Resistol Products Ethical Case
• Campus Rape: Ethical and Social Aspects
• Ethics of Nepotism in Business
• Ethics Activity in Management Accounting
• Ethical Dilemma in Nursing
• Pros, Cons and Ethics of “Stop and Frisk” Law
• Invention of Light Bulbs by Davy: Ethical Issues
• Starbucks’ Ethical Accusations
• Ethical Issues in Apple Inc.
• Ethical Issues on HIV/AIDS
• Food Ethics
• Ethics of Discovery in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”
• Act Utilitarianism and Virtue Ethics: Pros and Cons
• “Virtue Ethics and Adultery” by Raja Halwani
• Dante’s Ethical System in His Divine Comedy
• Ethical Issues in Mass Communication and Advertising
• Caterpillar Company’s Ethical Problems
• Conservation and Preservation Ethics
• Leah Curtin’s Classic Model in Nursing Ethics
• Deontological Ethics and Morality
• Code of Ethics in Education
• Ethics in Public Administration
• Economy and Ethics in the Inside a Job Documentary
• Microsoft Corporation’s Ethical Perspectives
• Military Professional Ethics
• Ethical Issues Faced By Multi-National Companies Operating In Less Developed Countries
• Kitsch – under the Title of Taste and Ethics
• Sexual Abuse in the Workplace as an Ethical Issue
• The International Olympic Committee’s Ethical Issues
• Ethical Reasoning: Dominant and Alternative Approaches
• Bayview University’s College: Ethical Behavior of Business Students
• Reflection of Ethical Self-Assessment
• Lockheed Corporation’s Ethical Decision-Making
• How Business Ethics Reflected In Milk Powder Production
• The Ethical Issues in Financial Management
• Business Ethics: Reflective Essay
• Ethical Approaches in the Retail Clothing Industry
• Ethical and Legal Implications in Healthcare: Case Study
• Ethics Unwrapped: Apple Suppliers & Labor Practices
• Fast Fashion and Ethical Consumption
• Ethical Implications of Implementing Religion or Spirituality Into Therapy
• “The Devil Wears Prada”: Morality and Ethics
• Ethical and Social Implications of Testing
• Ford Pinto’s Fuel System Redesign and Ethics
• Ethical Dilemmas in Social Workers’ Practice
• Ethical Issues in Organizational Behavior
• Nike Business Code of Ethics
• Nonmaleficence as Ethical Principle in Healthcare
• ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors
• Role of Ethics in Advertising
• Bhopal Gas Incident of 1984: Ethical Issues
• Ethical Dilemmas in the “21” Movie
• Ethics of Airlines’ Extra Charge for Obese People
• Technology Use among Children: Ethical Issues
• Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Hacking
• The Ethical Dilemma: Siemens
• Ethical Issues, Distractions, and Alarm Fatigue
• Environmental Ethics: Gender Equity and Education
• Ethical Issues in Road Construction
• Ethics of Decision-Making in Social Work
• Theories of Ethics: Virtue, Teleological and Deontological Theory
• The Ethical Issues in the Sports Medicine
• Criminal Justice Ethics of Traffic Police Officers
• The Ethical Dilemma in Nursing
• Meritorious Deeds at No Cost: Ethics of Ming Era
• Egoism and Altruism as Ethical Theories
• Ethical Decision Making: Restorative Justice
• The Barangaroo South Development Project Ethical Case
• What is the Importance of Ethics When it Comes to Governance?
• Importance of Ethics in Research
• Business Ethics and Child Labour
• Ethics and Faith in the Movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors”
• An Ethical System of Deontology: Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Code of Ethics for Mental Health Professions
• Ethical Decision Making for Hotel and Restaurant Managers
• The Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Behavior of Qantas Airways
• Accounting Ethics
• Emotional and Ethical Appeal in Art Spiegelman’s “Maus”
• Ethics in Product Safety of Takata Corporation
• Mental Health Nursing Practice and Ethical Issues
• Business Ethics in John Q. and Wall Street Movies
• Puma Company’s Business Conduct and Ethics
• A Case for Global Ethics
• Ethical Responsibilities in Social Work
• Business Ethics: Triple Bottom Line
• Digital Communication Laws and Ethics
• Ethical Considerations in Future Research
• Ethical Dilemma of a 2016 TV Commercial for Milk by Juhayna
• Ethical Failure in the Pulpit: Impact on the Church, Congregation, and Community
• College Student’s Ethical Problem
• Ethical Research in the Erin Brockovich Film
• History of Ethical Principles in Psychology
• Ethics in Nursing Profession and Its Importance
• Journalism: Media Law and Ethics
• Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s Ethics and Product Risk
• Prescribing Drugs: Ethical and Legal Implications
• Engineering Ethics and Legal Standards
• Nestle Company’s Child Labor and Business Ethics
• Ethics of Digital Manipulation
• Nike From an Ethical Perspective
• Ethical Issues in GlaxoSmithKline
• “The Ethics of Leadership” by Ciulla Joanne
• Nursing Code of Ethics
• Ethical Issues in Staffing Measurement
• Issue of Nepotism in Business Ethics
• XYZ Company Business Ethics Management
• Ethical Issues for Defense Attorneys and Persecutors
• Abortion in Australia: Legal and Ethical Issues
• The Unocal Firm’s Ethical Dilemma in Burma
• Eastern Ethics and Natural Law
• Applying Ethical Frameworks in Practice
• Walmart Corporation’s Business Ethics in Mexico
• Personal Ethics Philosophy, Beliefs, and Attitudes
• Ethics of Online Education
• Milgram’s Experiment on Obedience: Ethical Issues
• Public Speaking: Ethics and Critical Thinking
• Kant’s Ethics: Objection to Lying
• Ethical Dilemma: Counselors Engaging in Relations with Clients
• Ethics and Practical Advantage to Believe in God
• Ethics of Informed Consent in DNA Research
• Smartphone-Related Cognitive and Ethical Issues
• New Belgium Brewing: Ethical and Environmental Responsibility
• Reflection on Professional Ethics of Counselors
• Apple Inc.’s Mission, Vision, and Code of Ethics
• Corey’s Ethical Decision-Making Model Application
• The APA Code of Ethics
• Renewable Energy Ethical Question
• Role of the Ethical Values for a Human Being
• Kobe Bryant and His Work Ethic
• Toyota Motor Corporation: Ethical Issue
• Gattaca: Ethical Issues of Genetic Engineering
• Egoism: Ethical and Psychological Egoism
• Mill’s vs. Kant’s Ethical Theories on Lie
• Ethics in the Modern World
• Post-Dated Cheque Ethical Dilemma in Accounting
• Social Worker’s Personal and Professional Ethics
• “The Ethics of Belief” by William K. Clifford
• Ethics in School-Based Action Research
• Confucian Ethics
• Case Involving the Model of Ethical Decision-Making
• Ethics in Entertainment Journalism
• Role and Importance of Personal Ethics in Psychology
• Power and Ethics in Organizations
• The Problem of Codes of Ethics
• Facing Ethical Issues as a Software Engineer
• Child Labour: Ethical Aspects of Employment
• Ethical Decision Making and Sustainable Development
• The Coca-Cola Company Struggles With Ethical Crisis
• Cooper’s Ethical Decision-Making Model
• Feminist Ethics Concept
• Ethics and Evidence-Based Research
• Technology and Ethics in Business
• Perioperative Practitioners: Ethical, Professional, and Legal Issues
• Hyundai Dispatch Workers and Ethical Dilemma
• Arranged Marriage and Its Ethical Dilemma
• Legal and Ethical Implications for Classroom Management
• Google and Ethics
• What Constitutes an Ethical Response?
• Ethical Issue: Whistleblowing
• Code of Ethics: Shell Oil
• Cultural Relativism and Ethics: Ethical Issues and Context
• Ethics and Abortion
• Teleological and Deontological Theories of Ethics Definition
• Confidential Data Access: Kantian and Virtue Ethics
• The Wells Fargo Firm’s Ethical Case Analysis
• Walmart Manages Ethics and Compliance Challenges
• Bioethical Issue and Ethical Theory in “Gattaca”
• Business Ethics of H&M Operations in China
• Medical Ethics of Westwood Imaging Centers
• Christian Ethics Issues and Abortion
• Ethical Dilemmas: An Analysis of Two Cases
• Research Misconduct: A Case Study on Dr. Makoto Suzuki
• Søren Kierkegaard’s Ethical Theory to Nursing
• Ethics in Healthcare: The United Arab Emirates
• Surrogacy and Its Ethical Implications on Nursing
• Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing
• Engineering Ethics of Chernobyl and the Three Mile Island
• Hindu Ethics: Definition and Traditional Understanding
• Is The Phrase “Business Ethics” A Contradiction?
• The Responsibility To Protect (R2P) Concept: Ethics and Moral Values Introduction
• McDonald’s Ethics in Super-Size Me Documentary
• Politics and Ethics in Plato’s Republic
• Ethics Setting the Condom Vending Machines in the High-School Area
• Code of Ethics Paper for Nurses
• Wells Fargo Banking Scandal: Ethical Analysis
• Patients’ Spiritual Needs and Ethical Principles
• Business Ethics Theories and Values
• Indian Metals Corporation’s Operations Ethics
• Ethical, Legal and Multicultural Challenges in a Crisis
• Ethical Dilemma and Environmental Surveillance
• Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and Ethical Principles
• Ethical Egoism in “Freedom in Action” by Savater
• Counseling Ethics in 5-Step Decision-Making Model
• Core Ethical Values of a Lawyer
• The ICN Code and ANA Code of Nursing Ethics
• Ethical Code of Conduct for Psychologists
• Ethical Issues in “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad
• Enron’s (USA) and Parmalat’s (Italy) ‘Scandals’ of 2003/2004: Ethical Issues and Criticisms
• Business Ethics Theories From a Practical Perspective
• Ethical Issues in the School
• Benefits and Dangers of Ethical Hacking
• Ethics and Computer Security
• Key Issues Concerning Computer Security, Ethics, and Privacy
• Resolving Ethical Issues in the Workplace: Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics
• Psychological Egoism vs Ethical Egoism
• Knowledge Carries an Ethical Responsibility
• Ethical Issues in the Workplace: Gilbane Gold
• Value and Ethics in Organizations
• Ethics in the Healthcare Delivery
• Professional Values and Ethics
• Groundhog Day: Ethical Analysis of the Movie
• “Gone Baby Gone” by Ben Affleck: Film’s Ethical Framework
• Purdue Pharma’s Marketing and Ethical Implications
• Medication Errors: Ethical & Legal Implications
• Four Principles of Medical Ethics
• Nursing Ethics and the Diversion of Narcotics Drugs
• Ethical Issues in Terri Schiavo Case
• “Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice” by Pollock
• Professionalism and Ethics in Public Administration
• ANA Code of Ethics and Care Management and Coordination in Nursing
• Ethics Code in School Leadership
• Ethical Considerations in Research
• Ethics and corporate governance
• Can Advertising to Children be Ethical?
• The Ethics of Early Marriages in the American Society
• Information Systems: Ethical, Legal, and Security Issues
• Facial Recognition Technology and Ethical Concerns
• Ethics of Nursing Turnover and Shortage
• An Ethical Health Promotion-Related Issue
• My Experience with an Ethical Issue
• Ethical Issues of Surrogacy in Panama
• Ethical Implications of the Snowden Leaks
• An Ethical Dilemma and Lapse in Business
• Ethical Dilemma of Parental Refusal From Children’s Vaccination
• The Milgram Experiment and Ethical Issues
• Apple Inc.’s Business Ethics Strategies
• Ethics of Organ Transplantation Regarding Lifestyle Choices
• Business Ethics in Alan Greenspan’s View
• The Essentials of Research Ethics
• Christian Perspective and Postmodern Relativism: The Nature of Spirituality and Ethics
• Natural Law Theory and Virtue Ethics Theory
• Ethical Issues of the Information Age
• Care Ethics Theory and Its Analysis
• Zoom Technology and Its Ethical Issues
• Leadership, Trustworthiness, and Ethical Stewardship
• Media Law and Ethics: Integrity in Media Broadcasting
• The Significant Facts and Ethical Issues Surrounding Coca-Cola India
• AICPA: The Ethics in the Organization
• Real, Intellectual, Personal Property, and Business Ethics
• Ethical Lens Inventory in Nursing
• Aristotle’s Ethical Theory and Nursing
• Ethical Dilemmas in Workplace Analysis
• The Ethical Issues Associated With Organ Transplantation
• Concepts of Police Ethics and Deviance
• The Internet and Freedom of Speech: Ethics and Restrictions
• Ethics and the Civil Engineer of 2025
• Ethical Behavior. Ethical Misconduct
• Integrity in Organizational Culture and Ethical Theories
• Resolving Ethical Dilemmas
• Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice
• Poor Ethics Examples from World-Famous Companies Comparison
• Management Ethics: The Role of Managers
• Ethics in Workplace: The Kolb’s Theory
• Ethics and Morality Theories: Explanation and Comparison
• Mark S. Schwartz on Business Ethics National Index
• Ethics in Education and the Educational Process
• Ethics in Marketing: Product Safety and Pricing
• Ethical and Legal Responsibilities
• Kant’s Deontological Ethics Review
• Ethical Issues of the Boston Tunnel Event
• Ethical Decision Making in Everyday Work Situations
• Ethical Obligations of System Administrators
• Ethical Dilemma in the Psychologists Career
• Starbucks: Ethics and Compliance
• Ethical Dilemma in Mental Health Patient Care
• Ethical Dilemma in “The Reader” Film by S. Daldry
• Volkswagen Emissions Scandal From Ethical Viewpoint
• Wasta (Nepotism) Ethical Dilemma at the Workplace
• Business Ethics, Globalization and Sustainability
• Ethics and Decision-Making in Public Safety
• Ethics of Illegal Immigration Effects on the US
• “Before Teaching Ethics, Stop Kidding Yourself” by Marino Gordon
• StubHub: Ticket Scalping Ethics
• Corporate Ethics and Organizational Culture Relationship
• Genetic Mapping and Its Social, Ethical, and Legal Implications
• California Micro Devices Company: Ethical Dilemma
• Ethical Issues of Death and Dying
• Tesla and Toyota Companies’ Decision Ethics
• Ethics in Society and Government
• Strategic and Ethical Leadership Styles Comparison
• Ethical Behavior as to Returned Food and Beverages
• Affordable Care Act in Ethical Theories
• Benetton’s Shocking Advertising and Its Ethics
• Business Ethics and Its Importance Today
• Ethics and Professional Behavior in Criminal Justice
• Work Ethics in a Capitalist American Society
• Ethics of Emergencies: Ayn Rand’s View
• Accounting & Auditing: Unethical Practice in a Client’s Books
• Ethical Issues in Supervision of Postgraduate Research Students
• Ethical Relativism Concept
• Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Ethical Consideration
• Business Ethics: Enron
• Relationship between Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
• Group Counseling and Ethics
• Ethical Standards and Codes
• Ethical Behaviour in Workplace
• Drug-Testing: Utilitarian Theory Ethical Dilemma
• Ethical Responsibilities in Engineering
• W. K. Clifford, ‘The Ethics of Belief’
• Factors and Influences of Integrity and Ethical Behavior by Employees
• Various Ethical Theories Analysis
• Business Ethics in Multinational Corporations
• Business Ethics in Totalitarian Countries
• Ethics of Journalism: S.A.D Model Analysis
• Medical Ethics – The Four Pillars Explained
• Ethics and Law Enforcement: Strengths and Weaknesses
• Ethical Question on Producing Eggs From Caged Chicken
• Business Ethics in Leadership & Management Development
• Kantian Ethics Definition and Description
• Law Ethics: Something Rotten in Hondo
• Can a Business Be Successful Without Being Ethical?
• KPMG Corporation’s Auditing & Ethical Issues
• Information System Fundamentals and ACS Code of Ethics
• Business Ethics, “Performance Appraisal” Case
• Ethics in Real Estate
• Criminal Justice Ethics Definition
• Digital Ethics and Privacy in Enterprises
• Code of Ethics Concept: Toyota Motor
• Business Ethics: Can a Corporation Have a Conscience?
• Engineering Ethics as to Aboriginal Australians
• Ethical Training and Development Professionals
• E-Commerce Strategies, Ethical and Legal Issues
• Valeant Pharmaceuticals: Ethical Evaluation
• Ethical Behavior of the Organization’s Employees
• No Child Left behind Ethical Issue
• Summary of the article Three Kinds of Ethics for Three Kinds of Engineering
• Ethics of Bernie Madoff
• Ethical Events: Good Samaritan Conduct and Acts of vigilantism
• Ethical Issues and Considerations in Cosmetic Surgery
• “Eat Drink Man Woman”: Confucian Ethics and Traditional Chinese Family Life
• Decision Making Challenges Facing Ethical Dilemma
• Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Setting
• Business Ethics: Morality Issues Toward Customers
• Ethical theories
• The National Contract Management Association’s Code of Ethics
• Ethical Hedonism: The Principles of Morals and Legislation
• Ethics in Nursing Education Analysis
• Applying Biblical Principles to Business Ethics and Customer Relations
• Legal and Ethical Considerations
• Utilitarianism: Ethical Theory in Healthcare
• Global Poverty: The Ethical Dilemma
• Moral, Ethical, and Social Issues
• Importance of Ethics in Journalism
• The Siemens Company’s Ethical Culture Change
• Ethical Principles in Case of Belmont Report
• Business Ethics: The Big Short Article by Lewis
• Ethical Considerations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• The American College of Healthcare Executives Code of Ethics
• The American Counseling Association: Code of Ethics
• Business Ethics With Its Perspective On Working Condition
• Ethics and the Internet
• Scientists’ Moral Responsibility and Ethics
• Ethics and Morality in Health Profession
• Ethical Issues of Lotteries: Social Explanations of Lottery Play
• Professional Ethics in Nursing Practice
• Ethical Systems in the “Sophie’s Choice” Movie
• The Foundation of Moral and Ethical Judgment
• Ethical Virtues and Vices
• Ethic Issues: The Rampart Scandal
• Ethics in the Banking Industry in the UK
• Business Law and Ethics: Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball
• Ethics and Educational Requirement
• The Ethics of Patenting Medicine
• Ethics. Obligation, Ideals, Effects
• Ethical Dilemma in Journalism
• Ethical Decision Making: Case Analysis
• The Golden Principle of Ethics and Its Arguments
• Paying for Music Accessed via Online Technology: Ethical Considerations
• Dementia: Ethical Dilemmas
• Euthanasia in Christian Spirituality and Ethics
• Ethics of Online Advertising Targeting Children
• Work Ethics & Goals: Organizational Behavior
• Better Together Organization’s Ethics and Values
• Ecological Feminism and Environmental Ethics
• Rolling Stone Magazine’s Ethical and Legal Issues
• Wealth Inequality: Ethical or Unethical?
• Chick-fil-A Restaurant Chain Ethical Case
• Gratuities for Police and Professional Ethics
• Nursing Ethical Principles Application
• An Ethical Audit: Nike Controversy
• Counseling Ethics in Tarasoff vs. Regents Case
• Ethics in “The Corporation” Documentary
• Environmental-Based Dilemma and Kant’s Ethics
• Intellectual Property and Copyright Ethics
• Ethical Naturalism in Hursthouse’s “On Virtue Ethics”
• Costco Company’s Business Diversity, Ethics, Leadership
• Jehovah’s Witness Refusal of Care: Ethical Issues
• Business Ethics of Negotiation
• Ethical Judgment Philosophies at Starbucks Company
• Effective Ethics Program Developing Concepts
• H&M Company Ethical Culture Analysis
• Hinduism: History, Teachings, Ethics and Beliefs
• The Individual Ethics Influence on Decision Making
• Emerging IT-Related Technology’s Ethical Issues
• Ethics in the Hospitality Industry
• Ethical Issues in Supply Chain
• Ethical Issues Unique to Group Therapy
• Ethical Theories and Ethical Business Practices
• Contemporary Ethical Issues in Wal-Mart
• Ethics and Business Management
• Starbuck’s Ethical Relationship with Stakeholders
• The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics in the Hospitality Industry and How They Add Value to the Customer
• Concept of Bioethics in Society
• Ethical Industrial Engineering Ethics
• DoubleClick Inc. Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues
• Consumer Behaviour in Relation to Ethical Marketing
• Morality and Ethics: Religion Effect on Human Behavior
• Review of Ethics of Wal-Mart
• Ethical Behavior in Marketing
• Ethics in Financial Management
• Business Objectives, Ethics and Reputation
• Social Trends, Social Responsibility and Ethics
• Ethics in Design
• Ethics of Cloning
• Ethical Issues Facing Social Researchers
• Organisational Behaviour – Business Ethics
• The Ethics of the Union Carbide Disaster in India
• Ethics is not Based on Religion
• Can Capitalism Be Ethical?
• Ethical Standards in Scientific Research
• Is Ethical Behavior and Leadership a Challenge to Law Enforcement Officers?
• Ethics Program: Hyatt Hotels Corporation Code of Ethics
• Business Ethics in South African Enterprises
• Are Our Business and Ethics Compatible?
• Are Confucianism and Islamic Ethics Applicable in the Contemporary World?
• Are Some Bribes More Harmful Than Others?
• Are There Gender Differences in Ethics in Public?
• Does the Ethics Committee Indian Scenario Adequately safeguard Trial Participants?
• Can Technologies Determine Modern Social Customs and Ethics?
• Can Technology Affect Ethics and Culture?
• Did Thomas Jefferson Abandon His Ethics for the Lousiana?
• Does Business Ethics Make Economic Sense?
• Does Business Ethics Matter?
• Does Collectivism Affect Environmental Ethics?
• Does East Meet West in Business Ethics?
• Does Ethics Improve Stock Market Resilience in Times of Instability?
• Does Ethics Training Neutralize the Incentives of the Prisoner’s Dilemma?
• Does Studying Ethics Affect Moral Views?
• Does the United States Government Have Environmental Ethics?
• Does Virtue Ethics Give Adequate Action Guidance?
• Does Virtue Ethics Make a Significant Contribution to Moral Theory?
• How Are Diversity and Ethics Interrelated?
• How Are Ethics and Politics Related to Aristotle’s Philosophy?
• How Are Ethics Different From Moral?
• How Are Knowledge and Doubt Linked in Mathematics and Ethics?
• How Are Personal Ethics Developed?
• How Did Aristotle Understands the Human Being Through Virtue Ethics?
• How Does Attitude Affect Work Ethics?
• How Can Business Ethics Help Companies?
• How Can Ethics Help to Achieve Happiness?
• Why Death and Ethics Are Inextricably Linked?
• Why Are Environmental Ethics Important in the Preservation of the Natural Environment?
• Why Ethics and Virtue Are Important in Leadership?
• Nicomachean Ethics Essay Topics
• Social Justice Essay Ideas
• Moral Dilemma Paper Topics
• Social Security Paper Topics
• Social Problems Essay Ideas
• Cultural Relativism Questions
• Social Responsibility Topics
• Social Norms Essay Ideas
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1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology

Philosophy, One Thousand Words at a Time

Below are essays on:

• contemporary moral issues and topics in applied ethics;
• ethical theories  or explanations for what, in general, makes wrong actions wrong and makes permissible actions permissible; and
• metaethics or philosophical theories of whether and how moral judgments are true or false (or neither) and whether and how we know them (if we do), and other philosophical issues about ethics.

Practical Ethics | Applied Ethics | Moral Issues

Applied Ethics by Chelsea Haramia

Theories of Moral Considerability: Who and What Matters Morally?  by Jonathan Spelman

Business Ethics  by Thomas Metcalf

Happiness by Kiki Berk

Meaning in Life: What Makes Our Lives Meaningful? by Matthew Pianalto

The Meaning of Life: What’s the Point?  by Matthew Pianalto

Philosophy as a Way of Life  by Christine Darr

Ancient Cynicism: Rejecting Civilization and Returning to Nature by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.

The Ethics of Abortion by Nathan Nobis

Euthanasia, or Mercy Killing by Nathan Nobis

The Doctrine of Double Effect: Do Intentions Matter to Ethics? by Gabriel Andrade

Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.

Philosophy and Race: An Introduction to Philosophy of Race by Thomas Metcalf

What Is Misogyny? by Odelia Zuckerman and Clair Morrissey

Theories of Punishment by Travis Joseph Rodgers

The Death Penalty by Benjamin S. Yost

Philosophy of Law: An Overview  by Mark Satta

Ethics and Absolute Poverty: Peter Singer and Effective Altruism by Brandon Boesch

Longtermism: How Much Should We Care About the Far Future? by Dylan Balfour

Saving the Many or the Few: The Moral Relevance of Numbers by Theron Pummer

The Badness of Death by Duncan Purves

Is Death Bad? Epicurus and Lucretius on the Fear of Death by Frederik Kaufman

The Moral Status of Animals by Jason Wyckoff

Speciesism by Dan Lowe

“Can They Suffer?”: Bentham on our Obligations to Animals  by Daniel Weltman

The Non-Identity Problem by Duncan Purves

Psychological Approaches to Personal Identity: Do Memories and Consciousness Make Us Who We Are?  by Kristin Seemuth Whaley

The Ethics of Drone Strikes  by Ryan Jenkins

Videogames and Philosophy  by Alex Fisher

Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood  by Jana Mohr Lone

Ethics and the Expected Consequences of Voting  by Thomas Metcalf

Free Speech by Mark Satta

Licensing Parents  by Ryan Jenkins

Moral Luck by Jonathan Spelman

Indoctrination: What is it to Indoctrinate Someone? by Chris Ranalli

Is it Wrong to Believe Without Sufficient Evidence? W.K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief” by Spencer Case

Existentialism by Addison Ellis

African American Existentialism: DuBois, Locke, Thurman, and King by Anthony Sean Neal

Is Immortality Desirable? by Felipe Pereira

Camus on the Absurd: The Myth of Sisyphus by Erik Van Aken

“Hell Is Other People”: Sartre on Personal Relationships by Kiki Berk

The Philosophy of Humor: What Makes Something Funny?  by Chris A. Kramer

Marx’s Conception of Alienation  by Dan Lowe

On Karl Marx’s Slogan “From Each According to their Ability, To Each According to their Need”  by Sam Badger

Hope  by Michael Milona & Katie Stockdale

What Is It To Love Someone? by Felipe Pereira

Aristotle on Friendship: What Does It Take to Be a Good Friend? by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.

Sexual Orientation, Sex, and Gender  by Raja Halwani

Feminism Part 1: The Sameness Approach  by Annaleigh Curtis

Feminism Part 2: The Difference Approach  by Annaleigh Curtis

Feminism Part 3: The Dominance Approach by Chelsea Haramia

Aristotle’s Defense of Slavery by Dan Lowe 

Removing Confederate Monuments by Travis Timmerman

Mary Astell’s “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies” (1694) by Simone Webb

Rousseau on Human Nature: “Amour de soi” and “Amour propre” by Corey McCabe

Epistemic Injustice by Huzeyfe Demirtas

Ethics and “Extra Credit” by Nathan Nobis

The Ontology of Race by Abiral Chitrakar Phnuyal

Reparations for Historic Injustice by Joseph Frigault

Responding to Morally Flawed Historical Philosophers and Philosophies  by Victor Fabian Abundez-Guerra and Nathan Nobis

How to Establish Social Order? Three Early Chinese Answers  by Henrique Schneider

Plato’s Crito: When should we break the law?  by Spencer Case

Conspiracy Theories by Jared Millson

George Orwell’s Philosophical Views by Mark Satta

Normative Ethics / Ethical Theories / Moral Principles 

Cultural Relativism: Do Cultural Norms Make Actions Right and Wrong? by Nathan Nobis

Because God Says So: On Divine Command Theory  by Spencer Case

Ethical Egoism by Nathan Nobis

Deontology: Kantian Ethics by Andrew Chapman

Consequentialism by Shane Gronholz

Mill’s Proof of the Principle of Utility by Dale E. Miller

John Stuart Mill on The Good Life: Higher-Quality Pleasures by Dale E. Miller

Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas”: Would You Walk Away? by Spencer Case

W.D. Ross’s Ethics of “Prima Facie” Duties  by Matthew Pianalto

Social Contract Theory by David Antonini

“Nasty, Brutish, and Short”: Thomas Hobbes on Life in the State of Nature  by Daniel Weltman

Rousseau on Human Nature: “Amour de soi” and “Amour propre”  by Corey McCabe

John Rawls’ ‘A Theory of Justice’ by Ben Davies

Distributive Justice: How Should Resources be Allocated?  By Dick Timmer and Tim Meijers

Virtue Ethics  by David Merry

Situationism and Virtue Ethics by Ian Tully

G. E. M. Anscombe’s “Modern Moral Philosophy” by Daniel Weltman

The African Ethic of Ubuntu  by Thaddeus Metz

Mengzi’s Moral Psychology, Part 1: The Four Moral Sprouts by John Ramsey

Mengzi’s Moral Psychology, Part 2: The Cultivation Analogy by John Ramsey

Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice  by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.

Why be Moral? Plato’s ‘Ring of Gyges’ Thought Experiment by Spencer Case

Evolution and Ethics by Michael Klenk

(Im)partiality by Shane Gronholz

The Ethics of Mozi: Social Organization and Impartial Care  by Henrique Schneider

Praise and Blame by Daniel Miller

Nietzsche and the Death of God by Justin Remhof

Plato’s Form of the Good by Ryan Jenkins

The Repugnant Conclusion  by Jonathan Spelman

Practical Reasons by Shane Gronholz

Moral Testimony by Annaleigh Curtis

Ignorance and Blame by Daniel Miller

Free Will and Moral Responsibility by Chelsea Haramia

Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility by Rachel Bourbaki

Manipulation and Moral Responsibility by Taylor W. Cyr

Expertise by Jamie Carlin Watson

Hell and Universalism  by A.G. Holdier

Meta-Ethics / The Philosophy of Ethics 

Ethical Realism by Thomas Metcalf

Seemings: Justifying Beliefs Based on How Things Seem by Kaj André Zeller

Moral Error Theory by Ian Tully

Reason is the Slave to the Passions: Hume on Reason vs. Desire by Daniel Weltman

Also see  Social and Political Philosophy

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Reason and Meaning

Philosophical reflections on life, death, and the meaning of life, summary of kant’s ethics (short version).

(You can find a more detailed summary of Kant’s ethics here .)

Kant’s most basic presupposition regarding ethics was his belief in human freedom. While the natural world operates according to laws of cause and effect, the moral world operates according to self-imposed “laws of freedom.” Here is his basic argument for freedom:

1. Without freedom, morality is not possible. 2. Morality exists, thus 3. Freedom exists.

The first premise is true because, according to Kant, determinism undermines morality. The second premise Kant took as self-evident, and the conclusion follows from the premises. Kant also believed that freedom came from rationality. Here is his argument:

1. Without reason, we would be slaves to our passions (lust, envy, avarice, etc.) 2. If we were slaves to our passions, we would not be free; thus 3. Without reason, we would not be free.

We now have the basis upon which to connect between reason and morality.

1. Without reason, there is no freedom 2. Without freedom, there is no morality, thus 3. Without reason, there is no morality.

Kant believed moral obligation derived from our free, rational nature. But how should we exercise our freedom? What should we choose to do?

Kant’s ethics is the study of our duty. Since we are free, rational beings we can choose between actions, unlike non-human animals who are guided by instinct. Moral actions are actions where reason leads rather than follows. Such actions must take into account other beings that act according to their own conception of the law. Put simply, to be moral we ought to conform our free will to the moral law; that is our duty .

Kant says the only thing that is completely good is a good will—the desire to conform itself to the moral law. But what is the moral law? Kant assumes that there is a moral law, and that there is some rational representation of the moral law that we can understand. And exemplars of laws are laws of nature which are characterized by their  universality. So the moral law, he argued, must be characterized by universality too. Just as an equation of the form a(b+c) = ab + ac is universally applicable and needs only to be filled in by numbers, the moral law must have an abstract formulation by which to test actions.

Kant had seized upon the idea of universalization as the key to the moral law. To universalize a principle of our action we ask, “what if everybody did this?” According to Kant, we should act according to a principle which we can universalize with consistency or without inconsistency. This is what he calls the categorical imperative . By testing the principle of our actions in this way, we determine if they are moral. If we can universalize our actions without any inconsistency, then they are moral; if we cannot do so, they are immoral.

For example, there is no logical inconsistency in universalizing the maxim, whenever we need a car we will work hard to earn the money. However, there is something inconsistent about universalizing the maxim, whenever we need a car we will steal it. A world where everyone stole cars would be a world where there were cars to steal but no cars to steal—since they would all already be stolen! (This is the basic idea, this is actually quite complicated.)

Of course, we can act contrary to reason because we are free, just like we can say that 2 + 2 = 6 or we can say that there are round squares. But we violate reason when we say these things just as, for example, bank robbers violate reason when they rob banks. Why?  A bank robber wills a world where:

• banks exists as the necessary prerequisite of the bank robbery intended and
• banks don’t exist as the obvious consequence of bank robberies.

Kant’s basic idea is something like this. If I say you can taste my wine, I should be able to taste yours. Moral actions are rational, immoral actions are irrational.

In short, we act ethically if we freely conform our will to the moral law which it understands as the categorical imperative. The imperative prescribes action that are rationally consistent. If we act in this way, we may not be happy, but we will be moral. We will have done our duty.

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13 thoughts on “ summary of kant’s ethics (short version) ”.

My offer to allow you to taste my wine is freely made, and rational, and universally applicable as anyone could offer another a taste of wine, just to share.

There is no rational reciprocity in the altruistic action of offering a taste of wine.

Perhaps you could have used a different source for your wine-tasting example: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The following phrase is unsupported and unnecessary: “The moral law ultimately comes from God”. You finish that sentence with “can be known by rational people.” This part is self evident. God is not needed for morality, as is clearly shown in the logical arguments within your article.

This is not a valid argument.

(1) ~F –> ~◊M [P] (2) M [P] (3) F [?]

Additionally, P2 is not taken by Kant to be self-evident. Evident, perhaps, but not self-evident.

Furthermore, nowhere does Kant say that morality ultimately comes from God. Morality (for beings with a rational nature) ultimately comes from rational nature. On Kant’s view, God would be a perfectly rational being (i.e. has a “divine will”) and is therefore perfectly moral. The groundwork for the metaphysics of morals is not God–and there is an entire book of Kant’s that makes great efforts to explain the actual groundwork.

To say that the categorical imperative can be expressed as “what if everybody did this?” is to present a misrepresentation. If this is the case, then what is Kant but a consequentialist?

Granting the problematic interpretation of Kantian ethics as revolving around the categorical imperative as a sort of test procedure, the CI is certainly not a test of empirical consequence. The maxim of the car thief fails the CI procedure because a world where the concept of property coincides with–and is just as permissible as–the concept of theft results in a formal difficulty (of universal law), not in a material difficulty (e.g. all the cars would already be stolen).

Appreciate your perceptive comments. I agree the argument isn’t valid. I also with your point about my formalization of the CI being consequentialist, but it is hard to understand imperfect duties in Kant (not helping others or developing your talents) without construing him as somewhat of a consequentialist. And I agree with your point about God and will make modifications after I research the issue to make sure. However Kant’s moral argument for God’s existence is (roughly) that there is a moral law so there must be a moral lawgiver. So I’m not completely sure of the connection. Thanks again for the comments.

I like this as a summary of the “Groundwork” but don’t you think it’s a bit of an exaggeration to imply that this covers Kant’s ethics in two pages? Even as far as the Groundwork goes, this summary only touches on one of the formulations of the CI (leaving out the formulations according to rationality as an end in itself and the making of a kingdom of ends out of rational persons).

I’m also unsure how I can square your consequentialist interpretation of the universalizability formulation of the CI and Kant’s own statements. Someone else already brought this point up but I’d like to comment on imperfect duties. Namely, Kant regards universalizability as there being no contradiction in the representation of a maxim of action as a law for all persons (as in, we must be able to will that our maxim is a law for all persons). For an imperfect duty, the contradiction is that we can’t will a violation of an imperfect duty to the degree that we can’t will that others do the same to us; as in, it is contradictory to will that action and also hold certain desires/expectations of the treatment of others.

Obviously this is an attempt to cover Kant’s ethics in two pages for those who want that level of analysis. Obviously it falls short of more detailed analysis. As for imperfect duties, it might be that while perfect duties require a certain action—don’t lie—imperfect duties allow the duty to be fulfilled variously—develop your talents. But I don’t disagree with anything you say here. All I can add is that interpreting Kant is notoriously difficult.

To my eyes, this looks more like an attempt to cover the “Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals” in two pages rather than Kant’s ethics in two pages (and I think it summarizes the Groundwork well, missing only some mention of people as ends in themselves). I did not mean to imply that you had attempted a detailed analysis of anything ; I only meant that your two page analysis covered something other than what you said that it covered in the title.

Saying it attempts to cover Kant’s ethics is like saying that a summary of Book I and II of the “Nicomachean Ethics” (where he argues what makes people good) covers Aristotle’s ethics or that a summary of Mill’s argument for the principle of utility covers his ethics. The fact that the title was an exaggeration, since this only attempted to cover the basic principle of Kant’s ethics, was the main thing that I wanted to point out in my comment. I felt it was worth mentioning since it means the title is a little “clickbait-ey” and could leave readers thinking they had a rough idea of all of Kant’s ethics (as opposed to the rough idea this gives of his basic principle).

you are correct, it is mostly about the groundwork, and an oversight on my part. thanks for pointing that out.

1.Without freedom, morality is not possible. 2. Morality exists, thus 3. Freedom exists.

1. ~F->~M[P] 2. F[P] 3. M[P]

actually freedom and morality is a bi-conditional the less freedom you have, the less moral obligations you have, the more freedom you will have.

therefore world communism will restrict freedoms, and increase the moral obligations and the more free the society, the less moral obligations, and the increased freedoms.

(lust, envy, avar a ce, etc.)

Good catch, thanks.

Thank you. I’ll actually read your detailed summary as well. I tried to read Kant directly some time ago but lost myself in the ‘maze’ quite soon 🙂

Kant is very, very hard to read in the original. I had little luck with him myself in grad school and stuck mostly to secondary sources.

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How to Write a Personal Ethics Statement—And Why Every Professional Should

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What is a Personal Ethics Statement?

Personal ethics are your guidelines for forming relationships, overcoming challenges, and decision- making. A personal ethics statement is a one-page essay that gives a picture of your core values and what potential supervisors, colleagues, or clients can expect from working with you. It can be useful when you’re applying for school , just starting out in your career, looking for a new job, trying to expand your client base, or advancing your career.  

In this article we will discuss personal ethics—which should not be mistaken for professional ethics. Personal ethics relate to the values you hold in personal relationships and daily life, an whereas professional ethics relate to how you conduct yourself in business settings, deals, and professional relationships.  

An important part of your personal ethics statement is identifying your personal beliefs and personal values. Some code of ethics examples include integrity, selflessness, honesty, loyalty, equality, fairness, empathy, respect, and self-respect. This article is a complete resource for forming your personal ethics and transforming them into a compelling personal ethics statement.

Professional Impacts of Personal Ethics

There are many occasions your personal ethics will play a role in your behavior in professional settings. No matter your line of work, it’s important that you maintain unshakable personal ethics in your professional relationships and how you interact in the workplace.

Business Ethics

Business ethics are the practices and policies put into place to ensure people and resources are treated ethically in business dealings. While you’re making decisions in business to benefit a company, you must consider the impact of those decisions on others. Developing your personal code of conduct will help support you in upholding your company policies in the workplace, which will help you maintain personal integrity, as well as avoid potential business scandals . Learn about how to be an ethical leader in a business setting.

With a career in information technology, part of your job involves having access to private or confidential information. Your moral compass plays a significant role in keeping this type of information safe, especially since cyber-attacks—which happen every 39 seconds on average—are so prevalent in modern society. Having a career in IT immerses you in the world of cyber security , where ethical behavior and policy adherence are essential.

Healthcare Ethics

In the healthcare field, you’re responsible for human lives, so it’s no wonder that strong professional competence and integrity are important in how you carry yourself at work. There are plenty of complex issues, regulations, and compliance policies that you’ll encounter in a hospital or care facility, which demands that you seek the guidance of your personal ethics.

Teaching Ethics

Strong moral values are a necessary component of being a teacher. When your job is to sculpt young minds, you have must take responsibility for setting a strong example for them. Part of this is keeping students safe, part of this is treating all students equally and without discrimination. Part of this is creating healthy boundaries between your students and your personal life . If you build a personal ethics statement, you have a north star to look towards in this professional setting as you encounter ethical dilemmas. If you’re planning to become a teacher, you should also consider writing a teaching philosophy statement.

How Do I Write a Personal Ethics Statement?

There are five essential steps to writing—and perfecting—your personal ethics statement: 

1. Know your audience. 

The first step to writing an effective personal ethics statement is knowing and understanding the audience you’re writing for. This one-page piece of writing is supposed to influence the reader, so keeping the motivations and sentiments of your audience in mind while writing is important to completing your goal. Once you know your audience, whether it be an admissions counselor or a potential employer, then you can choose words and reference practices and policies that resonate with them and meet any guidelines in place.  

2. Choose your goals. 

There are two important types of goals to think about when building your personal ethics statement: your short-term and long-term goals. For example, your short-term goal may be getting into college, while your long-term goal is becoming a software engineer. Once you identify these, then you can phrase your personal ethics in terms of how they relate to your desired career path. To build off the previous example, if you aspire to be a software engineer, you can talk about personal ethics that relate to cyber security or the hard work required to get to your desired goal. 

3. Determine your influences. 

What influences the decisions you make? This is an essential step in determining your code of ethics because every choice you make is influenced by internal and external factors. One factor that affects everyone is personal traits. Your personality plays a crucial role in the decisions you make and how you carry yourself with others. Another factor is the people in your life who have helped in shaping who you are today. A third example is momentous events. Everyone experiences wonderful, pivotal moments in their life, as well as tragic and traumatic moments. All these factors play a role in your personal ethics, and they should be included in your personal ethics statement. 

4. Identify your beliefs and practices. 

This step is about writing down examples of how you move through the world and the core beliefs you live by. Compelling stories elicit emotional reactions from your audience and prove that you put your personal ethics into daily practice. Examples are essential to creating a strong personal ethics statement. 

5. Name your “why.”  

Why did you choose the ethical principles that you did? Confidently answering this question and providing details is essential to the authenticity of the statement. Decide why your personal ethics are important to you, how your life experiences brought you to those ethics, and how you’ll continue to keep them at the center of your decisions going forward. This step is important to making sure your audience walks away with a clear understanding of what ethical standards are important to you and why. 

What Should I Include in a Personal Ethics Statement?

Your personal ethics statement should consist of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.  

Start your personal ethics statement with a one- to two-paragraph introduction. Use the introduction to talk about the life experiences that helped form your ethical background. Maybe you had a major injury in your childhood that resulted in lifelong ability differences, and this made you an advocate for accessibility. Find a personal story that will engage your reader and provide a foundation for your statement.

In the body of your personal ethics statement—about two or three paragraphs—you should list each of the ethical principles that are central in your life. This is your opportunity to make sure the reader knows your core beliefs. If you have a personal mantra, include it here. In this section, true life examples are your friend.

What Should I not Include in a Personal Ethics Statement?

Since a personal ethics statement is a deeply personal piece of writing, it’s important to be honest and authentic. The last thing you want to do is include fake life experiences just to make a point. This also isn’t an opportunity to profess all your life’s mistakes. You are human and your personal ethics statement should reflect that, but in a positive and inspiring light.  

How to Conclude

Every personal ethics statement should have a strong conclusion. Sum it all up in a final paragraph where you explain how your core values make you a great person to have in a professional organization or an excellent candidate for an academic program.

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The Difference Between Morals and Ethics

Brittany is a health and lifestyle writer and former staffer at TODAY on NBC and CBS News. She's also contributed to dozens of magazines.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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What Is Morality?

What are ethics, ethics, morals, and mental health, are ethics and morals relative, discovering your own ethics and morals, frequently asked questions.

Are ethics vs. morals really just the same thing? It's not uncommon to hear morality and ethics referenced in the same sentence. That said, they are two different things. While they definitely have a lot of commonalities (not to mention very similar definitions!), there are some distinct differences.

Below, we'll outline the difference between morals and ethics, why it matters, and how these two words play into daily life.

Morality is a person or society's idea of what is right or wrong, especially in regard to a person's behavior.

Maintaining this type of behavior allows people to live successfully in groups and society. That said, they require a personal adherence to the commitment of the greater good.

Morals have changed over time and based on location. For example, different countries can have different standards of morality. That said, researchers have determined that seven morals seem to transcend across the globe and across time:

• Bravery: Bravery has historically helped people determine hierarchies. People who demonstrate the ability to be brave in tough situations have historically been seen as leaders.
• Fairness: Think of terms like "meet in the middle" and the concept of taking turns.
• Defer to authority: Deferring to authority is important because it signifies that people will adhere to rules that attend to the greater good. This is necessary for a functioning society.
• Helping the group: Traditions exist to help us feel closer to our group. This way, you feel more supported, and a general sense of altruism is promoted.
• Loving your family: This is a more focused version of helping your group. It's the idea that loving and supporting your family allows you to raise people who will continue to uphold moral norms.
• Returning favors : This goes for society as a whole and specifies that people may avoid behaviors that aren't generally altruistic .
• Respecting others’ property: This goes back to settling disputes based on prior possession, which also ties in the idea of fairness.

Many of these seven morals require deferring short-term interests for the sake of the larger group. People who act purely out of self-interest can often be regarded as immoral or selfish.

Many scholars and researchers don't differentiate between morals and ethics, and that's because they're very similar. Many definitions even explain ethics as a set of moral principles.

The big difference when it comes to ethics is that it refers to community values more than personal values. Dictionary.com defines the term as a system of values that are "moral" as determined by a community.

In general, morals are considered guidelines that affect individuals, and ethics are considered guideposts for entire larger groups or communities. Ethics are also more culturally based than morals.

For example, the seven morals listed earlier transcend cultures, but there are certain rules, especially those in predominantly religious nations, that are determined by cultures that are not recognized around the world.

It's also common to hear the word ethics in medical communities or as the guidepost for other professions that impact larger groups.

For example, the Hippocratic Oath in medicine is an example of a largely accepted ethical practice. The American Medical Association even outlines nine distinct principles that are specified in medical settings. These include putting the patient's care above all else and promoting good health within communities.

Since morality and ethics can impact individuals and differ from community to community, research has aimed to integrate ethical principles into the practice of psychiatry.

That said, many people grow up adhering to a certain moral or ethical code within their families or communities. When your morals change over time, you might feel a sense of guilt and shame.

For example, many older people still believe that living with a significant other before marriage is immoral. This belief is dated and mostly unrecognized by younger generations, who often see living together as an important and even necessary step in a relationship that helps them make decisions about the future. Additionally, in many cities, living costs are too high for some people to live alone.

However, even if younger person understands that it's not wrong to live with their partner before marriage they might still feel guilty for doing so, especially if they were taught that doing so was immoral.

When dealing with guilt or shame, it's important to assess these feelings with a therapist or someone else that you trust.

Morality is certainly relative since it is determined individually from person to person. In addition, morals can be heavily influenced by families and even religious beliefs, as well as past experiences.

Ethics are relative to different communities and cultures. For example, the ethical guidelines for the medical community don't really have an impact on the people outside of that community. That said, these ethics are still important as they promote caring for the community as a whole.

This is important for young adults trying to figure out what values they want to carry into their own lives and future families. This can also determine how well young people create and stick to boundaries in their personal relationships .

Part of determining your individual moral code will involve overcoming feelings of guilt because it may differ from your upbringing. This doesn't mean that you're disrespecting your family, but rather that you're evolving.

Working with a therapist can help you better understand the moral code you want to adhere to and how it ties in aspects of your past and present understanding of the world.

A Word From Verywell

Understanding the difference between ethics vs. morals isn't always cut and dry. And it's OK if your moral and ethical codes don't directly align with the things you learned as a child. Part of growing up and finding autonomy in life involves learning to think for yourself. You determine what you will and will not allow in your life, and what boundaries are acceptable for you in your relationships.

That said, don't feel bad if your ideas of right and wrong change over time. This is a good thing that shows that you are willing to learn and understand those with differing ideas and opinions.

Working with a therapist could prove to be beneficial as you sort out what you do and find to be acceptable parts of your own personal moral code.

Morals refer to a sense of right or wrong. Ethics, on the other hand, refer more to principles of "good" versus "evil" that are generally agreed upon by a community. 

Examples of morals can include things such as not lying, being generous, being patient, and being loyal. Examples of ethics can include the ideals of honesty, integrity, respect, and loyalty.

Because morals involve a personal code of conduct, it is possible for people to be moral but not ethical. A person can follow their personal moral code without adhering to a more community-based sense of ethical standards. In some cases, a persons individual morals may be at odds with society's ethics.

Dictionary.com. Morality .

Curry OS, Mullins DA, Whitehouse H.  Is it good to cooperate? Testing the theory of morality-as-cooperation in 60 societies . Current Anthropology. 2019;60(1):47-69. doi:10.1086/701478

Dictionary.com. Ethics .

Crowden A. Ethically Sensitive Mental Health Care: Is there a Need for a Unique Ethics for Psychiatry?   Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry . 2003;37(2):143-149.

By Brittany Loggins Brittany is a health and lifestyle writer and former staffer at TODAY on NBC and CBS News. She's also contributed to dozens of magazines.

Student Essays

Essay on Ethics | Meaning, Role & Importance of Ethics Essay

Ethics are the pillars of a stable and smooth life. A society where ethics and moral values are duly regarded, climbs on the ladder of progress and prosperity. Whether you are a student, working as teacher, nurse, doctor or a businessman, you needed to follow the path of ethics for a prosperous and healthy living.

We have shortlisted these essay on ethics, that define ethics, meaning, purpose & importance of ethics in our lives. These short & long essays are really helpful for children and students

Essay on Ethics | Role Value & Importance of Ethics in human Life Essay

Ethic describes the moral standards of right and wrong as well as the moral requirements of good and bad conduct. Albert Camus once wrote, “A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon the world”.

Types of Ethics

Here is a brief look at the four main categories of ethics:

1. Duty Ethics :  It relates ethics to religious beliefs. Defining right and wrong behavior or actions, these ethics are also called deontological ethics. Ethics are taught from the beginning. We must follow them to fulfill our duties.

2. Virtue Ethics :  Ethics refers to personal behavior of an individual. The focus is on a person’s moral values , mentality, and character. As children, we are also inculcated with virtue ethics. We are taught what is right and wrong even if there is no logic to it in many cases.

3. Relativistic Ethics :  In line with this, everything is equal. Everyone is free to form his own opinion, based on his own analysis of the situation. This theory holds that what works for one may not be right for another. The same thing may apply in one situation, but not the other.

4. Consequential Ethics :  In the Era of Enlightenment, rationalism was a goal. These ethical values are associated with that quest. According to this ethical theory, the outcome of an individual’s behavior determines whether his actions are wrong or right.

Ethics Vary in Each Culture

According to some, ethics are values that must be taught since childhood, and that one must strictly adhere to them. If one disobeys these, they are viewed as deviant. Quite a few people are very rigid when it comes to the ethical codes. Their behavior is constantly judged by others.

However, there are also people who are flexible about these issues and feel that they can be adapted to some degree depending on the situation. As such, the basic ethical and moral codes expected from individuals are almost the same from nation to nation. Nevertheless, there may be some ethical behaviors that are right in some cultures but not accepted in others. It is ethically wrong for women in many eastern countries to wear short dresses, whereas women in western countries can wear any outfit they choose.

Conclusion:  Ethics can be described in many different ways according to different schools of thought. Some people follow the norms of right and wrong, while others make up their own standards.

Essay on Ethics, Values | Ethics in Personal & Professional Life

The concept of ethics refers to the behavior one should display in any given circumstance. From an early age, ethical values are deeply ingrained in us and almost every decision we make throughout our lives is guided by them. Ethics determine whether a person is good or bad.

In both our personal and professional lives, ethics are extremely important. Someone who holds high ethical standards, believes in them, and follows them will be far more sorted than someone who follows the ethical norms without truly believing in them. And then there are still others – those who don’t believe in ethical norms and disregard them. There may be disruptions in peace in society as a result of these factors.

Importance of Ethics in Our Personal Life

The morals and ethical values of the society in which people are raised influence their minds. It is impossible to undermine the importance of ethics. It is critical to teach children from the beginning which behaviors are acceptable in society and which are not so that they can interact with the society effectively. Basically, this system was put into place to teach people how to behave properly and to maintain a peaceful and harmonious society.

People find it easier to make decisions once they have defined right and wrong. Consider a world where there were no definition for right and wrong. Everyone would act according to their own definition of right and wrong. Chaos and crime would result from this.

Ethics at Work Place/Professional Life

Ethics play a vital role in the workplace. The ethics and values set by society are not the only ethical values determined by organizations. For the organization’s code of conduct to remain effective, everyone working there must follow them. For example, ethical codes of conduct set by organizations state that employees must be treated fairly, honesty must be maintained, company secrets must never be leake, respect for coworkers must always be observed, and problems with management or employees must be addressed politely without creating unnecessary commotion.

This helps to ensure an organization’s smooth functioning. Employees who violate the ethical code run the risk of receiving warning letters or being penalized differently depending on the severity of the issue.

Whenever an organization lacks the set ethical codes, chaos and inefficiencies are likely to ensue. This is why it is essential that each organization establishes these standards. In an organization, ethical codes are not only important for ensuring a good working environment, but they also instruct employees on how to handle customers in different situations. Ethics are fundamentally a reflection of an organization’s core values and responsibilities.

Conclusion:  Ethics must be set for the society, for the workplace, and for all other institutions. People are able to recognize what is right and what is wrong, and it encourages them to behave in the right manner.

Essay on Importance of Ethics For a Student

Ethos is the Ancient Greek word for habits, customs, or character, and hence was used as the basis for the term ethics. The real meaning of ethics is found in this. It is clear from one’s habits and character that he or she is guided by ethical values. The character of a person is defined by their ethical values. As a society, we set ethical norms that determine what is good and what is bad.

Ethics provides a set of definitions for terms such as right and wrong, good and evil, virtue and vice. We constantly think about the ethical and moral values we were taught from an early age whenever we are in doubt, and this always gives us clarity.

These rules of ethics are supposed to promote the well-being of society and the overall happiness of the people living there, but sometimes they can cause some people to be unhappy. This is due to people going overboard with them. Early in Indian history, women were seen as housewives. The women were not allowed to work outside their home or to question the decisions of the male family members.

Many people still adhere to the ethics and norms defined centuries ago, although nowadays women are given the freedom to go out and work and take various decisions for themselves. Women are still held to the belief that their place is in the kitchen and that going out to work is unethical for them.

>> Related Post:  ” Essay on Helen Keller ”

Thus, ethics and moral values must go into the hearts and minds of people in order for society to function smoothly as well as to be redefined periodically for a community’s good.

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Home / Essay Samples / Philosophy / Ethics / The Essence of Ethics: Understanding Its Significance

The Essence of Ethics: Understanding Its Significance

• Category: Philosophy
• Topic: Ethics , Ethics in Everyday Life , Personal Ethics

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