Ethics in our law

what is ethics

deciding what is right or wrong in a reasoned, impartial manner

Decisions about a right ot wrong action

to involve ethics, a desicion must affect you or others in some significant way

Reasoned desicions

to make ethical decisions, we must usually base our decision on reason, not on emotion.

Impartial decisions

impartiality is the idea that the same ethical standards are applied to everyone

Ethics does not…

value on person or group of persons more than any other deed

Impartiality requires that in making ethical decisions

we balance out self-interest with the interest of others

Business ethics

the ethical principles used in making business decisions

Ethical reasoning about right and wrong are 2 basic forms

based on consequences and based on ethical rules

consequence based reasoning

recognizes that lying usually produces bad consequences

rule based ethics

lying is always wrong

first step in consequence based reasoning

look for alternatives

second step in consequence based reasoning

forecast the consequences that will arise

third step in consequence based reasoning

evalued the consequences to select the alternative that generates the greatest good

two sub steps when evaluating consequences for the greatest good

selecting the standard and right and wrong, and counting the persons affected.

with fundamental ethical rules

the acts themselves are judges as right or wrong

standard for judging comes from

a recognized authority and human reasoning

universalizing

a test to determine whether an action is right or wrong (imagine everyone in the world doing this action

Moral rights

rightful claims on other people that flow from each person’s status as a human being

how do people determine the laws

they do so by selecting representatives to lawmaking bodies

elections use majority rules meaning its

consequence based

civil rights

personal, human rights recognized and guaranteed by our constitution

why are we obligated to obey laws

ethicas damands we obey, we consent to be governed by the laws, we want to avoid punishment

integrity

the capacity to do what is right even in the face of temptation or pressure to do otherwise

fidelity bond

an insurance policy that pays the employer money in the case of the theft of employees

civil disobediance

an open peaceful violation of a law to protest its alleged injustice

when is civil disobedience ethical

a written law is in conflict with ethical reasoning, no effective political methods are available to change the law, it is non violent, it does not advances ones immediate self interested, public and one willingly accepts the punishment for violating the law.s

scofflaws

people who do not respect the law