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Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues
Ethics are generally relative to a person's culture, but not so much to an individual, although there are exceptions. This comes about because people, even though they are clearly individuals, are also significantly affected by the culture of which they are a part (Becker & Becker, 2002). The cultures, however, are often very different, and many of the ethics that are part of a particular culture do not translate to another culture (Fagothey, 2000). This is often why people who are attempting to do business globally have trouble, or commit an unintentional faux pas. They do not realize the differences between cultures, which can be quite pronounced (Fagothey, 2000). Many of these cultural differences are insignificant, but the ones that deal with ethics and ethical behaviors can become problematic for people who are interacting with other cultures for business or pleasure (Becker & Becker, 2002). Additionally, there are people within those cultures who will have ethics...
While much can be learned about a culture and its ethics, the outliers and evolution of the people and the culture will always be something that is very difficult to pin down in any way. That is why relativism can work as a universal theory. It makes the most sense, because it espouses the idea that points-of-view are subjective and relative, and do not have any value beyond that (Fagothey, 2000). The differences that people have in consideration and perception are vital to address where relativism is concerned (Fagothey, 2000). Whether something is relative to a specific situation or a person does not mean it is believed to be relative to anything or anyone else. This is the concept that relativism offers, as it…
References
Becker, L.C. & Becker, C.B. (eds.). (2002). Encyclopedia of ethics. New York: Routledge.
Fagothey, A. (2000). Right and reason. Tan Books & Publishers, Rockford, IL.
theories discussed in the case study. The first one was deontology theory which Maria and Jessica's actions denoted. They both felt life to them is sacred and thus would lead to the idea of never harming others regardless of consequences. "Deontological ethics focuses on duties, obligations, and rights" (Mackinnon & Fiala, 2014, p. 111). Because abortion leads to harming of the unborn fetus, Maria and Jessica felt they could
Ethical Theory & Moral Practice Debates about theory and practice are ancient. Each generation considers the dynamics that surround issues about the interdependency of theory and praxis to be uniquely challenging. Complexity is a variable closely linked with knowledge. As science has added layer upon layer of knowledge, decision-making dilemmas have been confounded by new and staggering concomitant factors. In concert, theoretical frameworks for social science disciplines have been adapted to
Ethical Theories The three basic ethical theories share a number of similarities, because they each attempt to describe and explicate the ethical decisions made by humans as well as the logic (or illogic) that is used to inform any particular behavior. Utilitarianism offers what is perhaps the most sound ethical theory due to the way it chooses for itself the goal of its efforts, but it is hampered by disagreement regarding
Utilitarian Abortion Considerations: The utilitarian perspective applied to the abortion issue would focus on whether permitting or prohibiting elective abortion would contribute more positively the interests of society (Mill, 2003 p160). The principal difference between the utilitarian and deontological perspectives is that utilitarianism is wholly unconcerned with the underlying motivation for decisions. Whereas deontological formalism values the state of mind of the individual, utilitarianism focuses on the ultimate consequences of the act,
These are ethics that know no cultural bounds. What is perceived as ethical in one society as well as any other is an example of a natural law. These are typically based on the human desire for equality as well as the desire to do good ("What is Natural Law?"). Furthermore, natural rights evolve legally from natural laws often. They also often see an intertwining of religious beliefs, although
Ethical Problem(s) Relevant Values Stakeholders Decision Making Utilitarianism Problems with Utilitarianism Deontology Rawlsian Ethics Ross's Ethical Theory Natural Law Theory Ethical Analysis Scenario A Pennsylvania hospital is faced with a non-U.S. born 5-year-old daughter of undocumented immigrants who has a life-threatening need for a 2 million dollar transplant. Using critical analysis and your ethics knowledge render and defend a decision about whether to provide the transplant. Ethical problem(s) One of the ethical problems present is the fact that the 5-year-old was born in undocumented