A634.9.4.RB - A Reflection of Our Learning

Over the last nine weeks my perception of ethics has changed in certain ways, and in other ways it has stayed the same.  Nine weeks ago I would have had a hard time giving an accurate definition of ethics.  Today I would still struggle to define ethics,  although I understand more than I did a few weeks ago.  Ethics concerns the right way to act.  However, saying that ethics is the right way to act does not define it clearly enough.  I have struggled to really get a grasp on ethics, because who decides what the right way to act is?  Should society decide?  Is it up to the individual?  Is there a board that determines appropriate conduct?  There are times that society has been wrong about what is right.  For example, when slavery was generally accepted by society, that did not make it ethical.  At times it seems like we condescendingly look to our ancestors and think they were foolish and unenlightened.  How could they make such unethical decisions?  Will our descendants think the same thing of us and our decisions, and what our society today generally accepts as “ethical?”

One of the reasons I have struggled with the idea of ethics is due to the fact that I feel that some of my beliefs and opinions have been unethically attacked by those who claim ethical superiority.  I have very traditional beliefs about the family.  I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.  Some have accused me saying that it is  unethical to believe this way.  However, I have learned over the last nine weeks that ethics is really about how we treat other people, and less about judging specific behaviors.  For example, just because I uphold marriage to be between a man and a woman, I do not go out and mistreat, harass, or abuse those who believe or actively live alternative lifestyles.  I have friends that live those lifestyles, and I can socialize with them, converse with them, and interact with them civilly and ethically.  Kant suggested that we should not use other people as means to satisfy our ends, that we should treat them as ends in themselves (LaFollette, 2007).  I think this includes treating people with kindness and respect, even when we do not agree with their lifestyle choices, or what they believe about those choices.  Maybe we should think about ethics more in terms of general principles for human interaction, and not specific rules about what behaviors are acceptable.  Perhaps ethics is more about the right way to interact with other people.

The Golden Rule suggests that I should treat others the way that I want to be treated.  Some have suggested that the Golden Rule fails in certain circumstances.  They have suggested that it fails because it assumes that everyone wants to be treated the way that I want to be treated (Sunshine, 2014).   They say the Golden Rule falls short because different people are motivated in different ways.  Several weeks ago I would have agreed.  However, I have learned that the Golden Rule still applies, we simply have to elevate our vision of it to a higher level.  If we use the Golden Rule at the ten foot level it can seem that it fails at times.  However, if we raise it to the ten-thousand foot level, we can see that it does still apply!  If I recognize that I want people to communicate with me or motivate me in my preferred ways, I should extend that courtesy to others and work to communicate with them and motivate them in the ways that are best for them.  As in my previous example, I want others to respect my views on the family, and so I should extend that same respect to others who may see it differently than me.  In this way I am still treating others the way I want to be treated, but at a higher level.  Once again we see that ethics is really more about general principles for human interactions, and not so much about specific ways to communicate and interact. 

Lastly, over the past nine weeks I have become more grateful for a standard.  Human beings are fallible, we make mistakes and we change.  One generation we say one behavior is “unethical,” the next we change our minds and say that what was previously defined as ethical has really been unethical all along.  I am grateful for a standard that has been defined by a kind, loving, omniscient Heavenly Father, who sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ to be an example for us and show us how to live.  He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, King James Version).  He invited us to follow him, serve as He served, love as He loved, and do as He did.  He was kind to those in need, lifted up the downtrodden, and friend to the marginalized.  He is the perfect example of ethical behavior.  

To sum it up, my perception of ethics has changed over the last several weeks in that I now understand that ethics does not define certain actions as right or wrong.  Ethics is about how we treat other people, regardless of their actions or beliefs.  I have learned that the Golden Rule is a great rule for ethics, but that it applies at a much higher level than I previously believed.  Lastly, I am more grateful than ever that I do not have to rely on the arm of the flesh to decide what is ethical and what is unethical.  I have the example of One who lived perfectly.

References

LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice Of Ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Sunshine, B. (2014, April 2). When the Golden Rule Fails, Try the Platinum Rule. Retrieved from https://blog.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/when-the-golden-rule-fails-try-the-platinum-rule