Transcript Ethics in Our Law Chapter 2 - Pleasant Valley High School

Lessons
2-1 – What is Ethics?
2-2 – Reasoning About Right and Wrong
2-3 – How is Ethics Reflected in Our Laws?
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 Define
ethics
 Describe each element of the definition
 Define business ethics
HOT DEBATE – Page 18
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Read the Hot Debate Paragraph
??? – Should Julian inform the INS of Achmed’s
whereabouts? If so, why?
??? – What are the reasons in favor of Julian not
informing the INS?
• Ethics is deciding what is right or wrong in a reasoned,
impartial manner. Consider the three important elements
in this definition:
• Decision about a right or wrong action
• Decision is reasoned
• Decision is impartial
Decision About a Right or Wrong Action –to involve ethics, a
decision must affect you or others in some significant way.
Reasoned Decisions - people often refer to a written
authority for reason…
Impartial Decisions – impartiality is the idea that the same
ethical standards are applied to everyone.
Business Ethics – are the ethical principles used in making
business decisions.
Reason
based on consequences
Reason using ethical rules
Consequence-based reasoning recognizes that lying
usually produces bad consequences.
Rule-based ethics says that lying is always wrong.
Ethical Reasoning Based on Consequences…
Consequence-based reasoning first looks for alternative ways
to alter the current situation. Then it attempts to forecast the
consequences that will arise from each alternative. Finally, it
evaluates those possible consequences to select the
alternative that generate the greatest good.
There are two elements to the evaluation process.
1. Selecting the standard for judging consequences as right or wrong
2. Counting the persons affected
Fundamental Ethical Rules – the acts themselves are judged
as right or wrong. The standard for judging usually comes
from one of two sources, a recognized authority or human
reasoning.
Decisions Based on Authority – an authority, such as the law
or a religious text, can say that stealing is wrong. When an
accepted authority has a rule or an issue, the rule tells the
follower of that law or religion what is right and wrong.
Decisions Based on Reasoning – human reasoning can
show that some things are basically wrong. A test has been
devised to determine whether an action is right or wrong. It
involves picturing in your mind’s eye everyone in the world
doing the action. This is called universalizing the action. As
you picture everyone doing the action, then ask, “Is this
irrational, illogical, or self-defeating?”
Moral rights are rightful claims on other people that flow
from each person’s status as a human being.
Explain
how our laws reflect ethics
based on consequences and ethics
based on reasoning.
Discuss why we are obligated to
obey laws.
In our country, the people –directly or indirectly-determine the laws that bind them.
They do this by electing representatives to lawmaking bodies, such as city councils,
state legislatures, and the Congress of the United States. In these elections and in
the legislative bodies, majority prevails.
The Constitution of the United States seeks to ensure that our federal lawmaking
system reflects the desires of our citizens. It does this by creating a national
legislature composed of two bodies – the House of Representatives and the
Senate. Together, these bodies are called Congress.
The United States of America is a country that recognizes and supports human
rights. Civil rights (or civil liberties) generally are personal, human rights recognized
and guaranteed by our Constitution.
Hon. Mike Carroll
Ethics Demands That We Obey…
Both ethics based on consequences and ethical rules conclude that we
are obligated to obey the law.
We Consent to Be Governed by Laws…
Socrates was a philosopher who lived in Athens, Greece from 470-399
B.C. He believed that he had promised to be governed the laws of
Athens. He expressed this promise by living in Athens and accepting the
benefits of that society. Socrates believed that he should leave Athens,
or not accept the benefits that it conferred on citizens, if he was not
willing to obey all of its laws. Through this type of reasoning, Socrates
concluded that it would be ethically wrong for him to violate the law of
Athens. Socrates was charged with a crime and unjustly sentenced to
death.
Socrates is widely regarded as a person of great integrity.
Integrity is the capacity to do what is right even in the face
of temptation or pressure to do otherwise.
We Want to Avoid Punishment – Some people comply with
the law primarily to avoid punishment.
Employers often purchase fidelity bonds for persons who
handle large sums of money, such as cashiers, managers,
or supervisors. A fidelity bond is an insurance policy that
pays the employer money in the case of theft by employees.
Civil disobedience is an open, peaceful, violation of a law to
protest its alleges injustice. The goal of those who engage
in civil disobedience is not to advance their self-interest but
rather to make the legal system more just.
Dr. King believed that civil disobedience is justified only in extremely limited
circumstances. He an others conclude that civil disobedience is ethical only
when…
• a written law is in conflict with ethical reasoning
• no effective political methods are available to change the law
• the civil disobedience is nonviolent
• the civil disobedience does not advance one’s immediate self-interest
• the civil disobedience is public and one willingly accepts the punishment for
violating the law
In contrast of Dr. King, some persons are mere scofflaws. These are persons who
do not respect the law. They simply assess the risk of being caught against the
benefits they obtain by breaking the law.
• Page 30 – In a document or on paper, complete
the Matching exercise by writing/typing the
number and the term that matches the definition
next to the number.
• Write about Legal Concepts - #17
• Think Critically About Evidence – #22, 23
• Analyze Cases – We will do together