Ethics, also called moral philosophy, is the division of philosophy concerned with how a person should behave in a matter that is considered morally correct or good. It sounds like a simple idea—how to be good, and why it’s important to be good—but it’s a concept that has fascinated and agonized moral philosophers for more than 2,000 years.
Ethics means trying to figure out why one should behave morally, as well as understanding the motivating factors for that behavior. It also examines what, exactly, makes something “good” or “bad.” For example:
• Is that sense of good or bad something that’s naturally inside of us, or is that sense placed there by a divine being?
• Do we follow a moral code?
• Do we act morally because it is often in our self-interest to do so?
• Is ethical behavior all about the nature of the consequences of our actions?
Ethics are arguably the one type of philosophy that is readily applicable to daily life. Philosophy asks big questions like, “Is God real?” or “Why are we here?” But those big questions don’t directly address how to live one’s life. Ethics is the missing step between addressing the infiniteness of the universe and reconciling it with the daily existence of life on earth. If philosophy encourages moral behavior by asking the big “why” questions, then ethics is an exploration of that moral behavior, and it seeks to formulate concrete “what” and “how” answers to the questions that philosophy poses.
Ethics can and should be applied to regular life. You can tailor ethics to fit your life, and you can use ethics to make decisions and take actions that are morally “right” in fields such as medicine, business, and other disciplines. The use of ethics also brings up another ethical conundrum—why is it important to consider why a person should act a certain way? The answer lies in the concept of happiness. Simply stated, happiness is an outgrowth of ethics, be it one’s own happiness or the happiness of others.
Whether you are a philosopher at heart or just interested in discovering why some things are “good” and some are “bad,” Ethics 101 has you covered. Let’s delve into the fascinating and thought-provoking realm of ethics.