Professional Ethics

What is Ethics? A few years ago, sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked business people, “What does an ethic mean to you?” Among their replies were the following: “Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong.” “Ethics has to do with my religious belief.” “Being ethical is doing what the law requires.” “Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts.” “I don’t know what the world means.” These replies might be typical of our own. The meaning of “ethics” is hard to pin down and the views many people have about ethics are shaky. Ethics and Feelings: Like Baumhart’s first respondent, many people tend to equate ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is clearly not a matter of following one’s feelings. A person following his or her feelings may recoil from doing what is right. In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is ethical. Ethics and Religion: - Nor should one identify ethics with religion. Most r...