Evolution of ethics in America from Puritan biblical values to contemporary pluralism

Business Ethics and Morality

Many in the business and sociology fields have attempted to separate the ideas of ethics and morality from religious beliefs. Researchers have worked hard at identifying the principles which hold our societies together from the viewpoint which identifies the common good, or the well-being of the individual or organization as the foundation of moral or ethical behavior. However, this humanistic approach to morality voids the central thesis of what makes moral decisions important, and possible. Moral decisions are based on a code of behavior which lies specifically outside ourselves, and is focused on building a common good on the basis of a moral understanding which is defined, and unchanging. Regardless of how broad a sociological perspective one takes, when morality is separated from an unchanging definition of right and wrong, the foundation changes from rock to sand, only waiting for the next sociological revolution to come along, sweep the foundation away, leaving men to fend for themselves again until a new set of morals and values are designed. Religious belief is the foundation of morality, and living up to a standard, rather than lowering ourselves to the least common denominator is the purpose of moral behavior.

C2. Utilitarian decision making is based on gaining the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and using the frame of reference as a definition of right, or good behavior. In many cases, this is an effective measure of ethical behavior. For example, if a person steals from a business finances, and the result is a collapse of the organization (i.e. Enron) the utilitarian basis for evaluation holds true. The few made decisions which benefited them, but the majority of people were harmed. Therefore the decision to steal was wrong. However, because this is based on human rationale rather than on unchanging moral foundation, example can also be drawn which support utilitarian logic which are unethical, and immoral.

An example of the latter is the continuation of utilizing immigrant and migrant workers to pick harvests in the South west. The illegal immigrants need money, and to employ them picking crops benefits them. If farmers were to pay standard wages for crop harvesting, the price of some foods would skyrocket. Thus the community at large benefits from the presence of migrant workers. However, employing illegal immigrants encourages more laborers to enter our country illegally, creating a number of problems in the Southwest. These workers labor for little more than slave wages, which does not help them build a positive economic future, or break the cycle of poverty. Thus, although utilitarian reasons support the presence of low wage immigrant laborers, the harm caused to this small group does not justify the practice.

C3 Kant is one of the philosophers who attempted to take a non-religious perspective on life, and create a universal set of laws which could apply to create an ethical basis for decisions. A Kantian decision would be to limit the treatment to critically ill people in order to spend limited resources on those who show a higher potential for recovery.