Ethics and Society
Ethics refers to the principles or standards of human conduct that can be used by an
individual to make decisions between alternative courses of action. Ethical choices occur
in all lifestyles and typically involve a conflict where one person or group benefits at the
expense of another. Business, for example, is often confronted with the decision to utilize
technology to reduce its workforce and thereby raise its profits to benefit its shareholders,
at the expense of eliminating the jobs of loyal employees who have been with the
company for many years. One could make an argument for either course of action, and
indeed there is no right or wrong answer, because either action might be deemed correct
within its own objective.
How then does one make an ethical decision? As with every decision, you begin by
identifying the facts – who did (or will do) what to whom, and where, when, and how
was (will it) be done? What are the opposing courses of action and the consequences of
each? The decision maker can then decide which path to follow and which principle or
value to apply. He or she may be guided by a professional code of conduct such as those
advocated by the American Medical Association or the American Bar Association. There
may also be a clear legal principle, but as is often the case with new technology the law
may not yet exist.
Eventually, however, every ethical choice is a matter of individual conscience.
