Ethics

Some people simplify this concept as "doing the right thing" or "doing the right thing when no one is looking" but I would suggest that such simplifications are useless. The hardest part of ethics is often not the action itself, but determining what the right thing is. Is the right thing just what feels right or what we were taught? Is it just what is legal or socially acceptable?

Before you can have ethics, you need values. These values can help you to determine what you consider to be right and wrong. Our society tends to believe that lying, stealing, or committing fraud or assault are wrong while honesty, compassion, and loyalty are right. If your values are in line with society's, you would feel the same way. However, there is also the "Robin Hood" concept that it might be good to steal from the rich and give to the poor. If you really believe that stealing is wrong, you should reject it even if your values tell you that compassion for the poor is good. "White lies" might also be good if they are intended to avoid hurting someone's feelings, even though we believe lying is bad. Are any of these ethical? That would seem to depend on your values. In fact, the concept is so personal, that you may think you are being ethical while others think quite the opposite. If enough of society believes that what you have done is wrong, you can be judged unethical. If you are not in touch with your own values, you might agree, but then why would you have violated your own values? More than likely, you have no idea what those values are.

Society definitely has an impact on ethics. We codify society's rules into laws and standards to tell ourselves what should and should not be done. We develop such rules to define behaviors that ensure the rights of the individual and the proper running of society. Individually, we modify these with our own system of values. I do not believe most of us are well-connected with our own values. Your personal feelings, desires, beliefs, and willingness to follow the social rules go a long way toward shaping your personal standards which in turn can mold what you believe is ethical.