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Ethics in Everyday Life
69
ethics in
EVERYDAY LIFE
By: Laura Hamilton
META-ETHICS
Meta-ethics is a branch of analytic philosophy that was developed in the early years of the twentieth century. It explores the status, the foundations, and the scope of moral values, properties, and words. This involves responding to questions by examining their semantics of moral discourse. Many factors also come into play before making a final decision.
NORMATIVE ETHICS
Normative Ethics is a branch of moral philosophy that is concerned with the criteria surround what is morally right and wrong. This includes the formulation of moral rules that have direct implications for what human actions should look like. The claims of Normative Ethics either state or imply right from wrong.
applied ethics
Applied Ethics refers to the practical application of moral considerations. Essentially, this is ethics with respect to real-world actions and their following moral consequences in all areas of life including private, public, professional, etc. The use of philosophical methods helps identify the correct course of action.
The examples I have provided are questions AND STATES that would be suggested by each of the branches, and I have also provided a brief explanation as to how the question would be explored.
EXAMPLES
META-ETHICS
1. WHAT SHOULD A DOCTOR DO IF TWO PEOPLE ARE DISAGREEING ON PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE?
In the event that two people, say for example, a cancer patient and their mother, are in an argument due to the fact that the patient would like physician-assisted suicide. It is not worth anyone's time to sit and argue about what is morally correct or not, so the doctor should attempt to inform the mother as to what the procedure is, and give her some time to sit with her child's decision.
2. WHEN USING THE WORDS "GOOD" AND/OR "RIGHT", WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY MEAN?
When using the words "good" and/or "right" the idea is suggesting what is morally correct in a certain situation. For example, saying that you should always make the "right" decision, means that you should always consider your options before making a decision, as your actions always have consequences.
NORMATIVE ETHICS
1. IT IS WRONG TO KILL PEOPLE, EVEN IF THEY MAKE YOU ANGRY.
This statement clearly implies what is wrong. We all know that killing someone will never be reasonable, and this is a great example of something that is clearly morally incorrect. This action has extreme consequences, and nothing good will ever come out of this situation.
2. we should give charity to those in need, even if no reciprocation should be expected.
This statement also states what is right. If one is able to do something to help someone in need, they should do so. Even though no reciprocation will occur, the good Karma will follow you.
applied ethics
1. Under what conditions is an abortion morally permissible?
This question will be answered differently by people who have different views surrounding abortion. When a woman is financially or emotionally unable to properly care for her child, an abortion should be morally permissible. This is also directly up to the women as an individual, and no other party should have a say in her decision.
2. does a citizen have the moral obligation to actively participate in the democratic process of one's nation?
This is a real-world scenario that is linked to Applied Ethics. I do not think anyone is obligated to participate in the democratic processes of one's nation (for example: voting in an election), if they do not wish to. This is entirely up to the individual themselves.
QUESTIONS:
1. What connections can be made between the real-life examples that you found, and the rules from any of the five moral systems we explored in this activity? Demonstrate the connection by attaching one or two specific rules that are illustrated by the example.
2. If you have examples that illustrate ‘immoral behavIOUr’ or any other behavioUr that society would deem unacceptable, hypothesize why someone chose an action that was detrimental to society and possibly to herself or himself. For example, is it because the difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ was ambivalent? Were the punishments too lenient or the possibility of reward too high? Was the rule that was broken, only a rule specifically to one moral system or social context?
3. In a brief paragraph, summarize your research by presenting your assessment of ethics - does understanding the theories and roots of ethics make it easier to choose the ‘good’ and the ‘right’ when faced with ethical dilemmas? If rules are universal, or if rules are not universal - does that make you feel more secure in making a decision?
4. Remember to make direct reference to the material and examples you have presented in your diagram. In particular, assess how you, personally, would respond if you found yourself in the same situation - what would inform your decision-making process?
Under the Normative Ethics section, I mentioned the example of the fact that it is wrong to kill people, even when they have hurt you or made you angry. This is a connection to one of the rules from more than one of the five moral systems. To provide an example, in the Ten Commandments of the King James version of the Bible, it is stated that “Thou shalt not kill.” These two things go hand in hand, as it is morally wrong to commit any sort of harmful act on another person, regardless of the way they might have made you feel. Another example of a connection would be that it is morally correct to give charity to those in need, even if no reciprocation is expected nor received. This example can be linked to the sixth tool within the Anishinaabe Seven Grandfather Teachings. This rule is called Miigwe’aadiziwin, and is all about generosity. It states directly that “You have the ability to give things away and distribute what you have.” The morally correct thing to do would be to help out those in need, if and when you have the ability to, and good Karma will follow you in return.
1.
A perfect example of a situation that illustrates ‘immoral behaviour’ would be killing someone simply because they made you angry. Society as a whole would absolutely deem this action as extremely unacceptable - and in most cases - unforgivable. This action would cause harm to both the killers family and friends, as well as the loved ones of the victim. Someone who commits murder or another harmful act on another person simply due to the feeling of anger, would definitely have some form of mental illness that causes them to act out in this way. This person would have something seriously psychologically wrong with them, and would be punished accordingly. The difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in this situation is not nearly ambivalent, and the person would be unable to see this due to their unhealthy mental state. There would be no reward for this action, besides an extremely temporary feeling of satisfaction to their intrusive thoughts. The punishment would be jail, or in some cases death, for example in the United States where the death penalty is still used today. Not only was the rule of not killing people broken, but the rules of several moral systems, and the law.
2.
Although I feel as though it is already quite easy to differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ decisions, the research I have done for this assignment has expanded that knowledge. When faced with dilemmas, I tend to think about how my actions would impact other people, before making a choice on how to act. In some situations however, there is not enough time to thoroughly think over which choice is ‘good’ or ‘right’. In these situations, I trust my gut as to which path is right, and go with that. If rules were universal as to how to make a ‘right’ or ‘good’ decision, I would absolutely feel more secure with my choices. Let’s say for example, a universal checklist to run through surrounding the right decision, in order to do so. This would make me feel more confident and comfortable in situations where I don’t always have the time to thoroughly think through my decision.
3.
One example that I provided under the Applied Ethics section was surrounding abortion. If I personally were in the situation where I got pregnant and was financially or emotionally unable to properly care for a child, I would absolutely consider abortion as an option. Although it would be extremely difficult to get rid of the human life that I have created, there are safe and appropriate ways to do this. If I was financially or mentally unstable, the impacts of this would affect my child’s life, which I would never want. If I was unable to give my child every single thing they need, I would not want to bring a child into this world. Within my decision making process, I would reassure myself that I do not need to listen to the opinions of anyone else. I understand that many people around the world do not agree with my Pro-Choice opinion, but that does not persuade me into thinking any differently, as it would be my decision. The example I provided proposed the question of what is the scenario in which an abortion is appropriate to get. My answer to this question is, that it is 100% up to the woman in the situation. If a woman does not agree with getting an abortion, my advice would be for her not to get one. If a woman agrees that it is her choice, then she should most certainly be left to make that decision for herself. My views will differ from other people’s views, as this can be a controversial topic, but I would respond to this situation in a manner that involves giving myself loads of time to think about what is the ‘right’ thing to do, and ultimately, the ‘right’ thing to do is whatever is best for myself.
4.
REFERENCES
references
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://iep.utm.edu/metaethi/#H1
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://iep.utm.edu/ap-ethic/
Normative & Descriptive Ethics. (2015, April 27). Retrieved from https://ethicalrealism.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/normative-descriptive-ethics/
Normative ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/normative-ethics
Sayre-McCord, G. (2012, January 26). Metaethics. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaethics/