Ethical Bases for Laws

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Ethics

 Ethics is a practice of deciding what is right and what is wrong in a reasoned, impartial manner  Reasoned: Making a decision based on reasons not emotions  Impartial: The same ethical standards are applied to everyone .

Forms of Ethics

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◦ Based on Consequences : Means that rightness and wrongness is based only on the consequences that the action has. (The act is good when the results are good, etc.) 2.

◦ Rule-Based Ethical Reasoning: Acts are judged whether right or wrong regardless of what the consequences may be

Consequences Based Ethical Reasoning Ethical Reasoning

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Looks for alternative way to alter the current situation It attempts to forecast the consequences that will arise from each alternative It evaluated those possible consequences to select the alternative that will generate the greatest good. Examples: Financial rewards, pleasure, justice

Rule-Based Ethical Reasoning

1. Acts are judged right or wrong 2. Uses two sources for judging: recognized authority (often a religious sources that tell people not to steal, kill or lie), or human reasoning (based on human interpretation of what is right or wrong based on the results, and based on what’s logic). Example: it is logical that a store’s cashier gives the exact change to the person paying for the goods.

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Scofflaws

◦ are individuals who do not obey or respect minor laws. They simply disregard the risk of being caught and punished, and focus on just the benefits they gain from breaking the law. Ex: computer hackers, cashiers steal credit cards info.

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Civil Disobedience

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The only way you could openly, peacefully, violate the

law is by protesting its alleged, or supposed, injustice. The participants of the protest may be willing, or even eager, to be arrested in order to test the validity of the law in court.