The Problems with the Meaning of Ethical Language
Ethical language uses words, terms and phrases from normal language,
but they normally do not have the same meaning. Words such as; ‘good’
have a variety of meanings in the normal everyday use, but also have
several different meanings when used in moral philosophy. For example,
the dictionary gives the following definitions of the word good;
‘having the right or desired qualities, satisfactory, adequate,
efficient, competent, reliable, strong, kind, benevolent, morally
excellent, virtuous, charitable, well-behaved, enjoyable, agreeable,
thorough, considerable.’ Then ‘good’ can be used to mean the following
in moral philosophy; an inherent quality which is widely beneficial,
the opposite of bad or evil, something one or more persons approves
of, useful in that the good action/concept/attitude enriches human
life, or God-like or what God wants. The same problem applies to many
other words within the English language, however is best illustrated
by the word ‘good’.
The problem which occurs with words having many different meanings
within differing contexts is that it leads to possible differences of
interpretation. There is possible room for difference in
interpretation within the different usages of words such as ‘good’
because words used in the definitions can be seen to mean different
things. An example of this is, as I have stated above, good can mean;
an inherent quality which is widely beneficial, within this definition
‘widely’ can mean anything from often in the life of one, or universal
to every being. The same applies to ‘beneficial’ which could be
interpreted to mean; pleasant, healthy, productive, useful,
life-enhancing. How to define good in a moral sense has puzzled
philosophers for thousands of years, but there has been two main
approaches; a teleological and deontological approach. The
teleological approach states that the moral action is the one that
aims to fulfil the purpose of the agent. However, the teleological
approach can assess how moral an action is on how well it achieves
particular ends. Whereas the deontological approach believes that true
morality is derived from a set of duties which exist in their own
The Solution phase is a mix of similarities and differences for each model. The Rational model incorporates a decision matrix to assist with the selection of a solution. Each option is listed with three various outcomes based off the criteria and each option’s ability to solve the problem. By utilizing a matrix, the user can play each solution out in order theoretically see the likelihood of success, which provides the user with a better chance of success in solving the problem. In the pharmacy example, we took Kramm’s top three solutions into the matrix and developed possible outcomes based off the set criteria. This gave the team a visual of possible outcomes and results for each, enabling us, as well as Kramm, to make a smarter decision by
Control. Power. Decisions, who has the right to make them? Does the Government or a group have that right or does the individual have the right? Throughout history from our first book, the Bible, to our modern novels, literature has impacted our society in a great many ways; it reveals of our faults, and our triumphs, assist society in defining our moral values and ethical views. This paper will explore some moral and ethical issues about choice through several short stories: "Sonny Blue's," "Cathedral," and "The Lottery," and there will be two novels explored primarily; Fahrenheit 451 and George Orwell's 1984. The moral and ethical views that these books and short stories show us about our society today and the lessons that everyone could learn from them will be explored. To do this we must first understand the difference between morals and ethics. Morals are a person's individual view of the world, what they hold to be right, true, and just; a code of conduct. While morals are formed by the individual, ethics are a collective common law, yet not in writing; what the majority of the population hold to be right, true, or just.
Nietzsche starts his explanation of the genealogy of morals by evaluating the origin of a version of the word “good”. He posits that what is good is described by the person it is most useful for, essentially that what is “good” is subject to the perspective of the person who is on the receiving end of the action. Nietzsche also provides an alternative view to its origin, he claims that instead of “good” being defined by the person who benefits from the action, rather that the noble and powerful have claimed the right to define their actions and values as “good”. Nietzsche defends this view by explaining the
The word “ethics” comes from Greek ethikas meaning character. Today, we use ethics to describe the normative standard of behavior. The history of philosophical ethics has been broken up into five rational methods: Virtue, Traditional, Modern, and Post-Modern Ethics. Within these periods, the philosophy of ethics changed along with the changes being made within society.
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (1996), the notion “good” is defined as: “Good1 (adj.) 1. Having the right or desired qualities; one that is bright and cheerful. 2. Beneficial.
New interpreters are eager to not just do a good job interpreting but are also concerned with proper professional behavior. There are lots of sources of information to guide interpreters in their conduct, roles and ethics, but are interpreter ethics followed in practice? Also, is it possible or advisable to follow the currently prescribed guidelines or should current codes of professional conduct and standards be change to meet actual interpreter practice?
A) The first approach are the nihilist, the skeptic, and the subjectivist, they all have the same belief that there are no moral codes or truths, although skepticism and subjectivism relate to each more because they both decide on what they value. Whereas a nihilist believes that all values are meaningless. So, if a thief decides to rob your house, the only hope the three will have is to want the thief not to rob your house, or tell him what he is doing is against the law. Which means, you cannot use none of the three to solve conflicts. The second approach is ethical relativism which is that each culture has their own beliefs that they follow. An example is an American woman and Muslim woman, an American woman has the freedom to dress how
In this paper, I will explore the question of the moral permissibility of intervening when I see and know of a close friend suffering with abuse and self-harm. This question touches on a larger debate as to the extent of a person’s autonomy, and if that can ever be overruled by someone else’s attempt to force a decision they believe is in the best interest of their friend. The specific example I will be focusing on is when the close friend explicitly tells me to not seek help on their behalf. It is a situation where I believe that she is not safe living at her home, and I am constantly scared that one day will be the day that something extremely serious occurs and I am never able to see my best friend again. I argue that is is morally permissible,
In the age of assisted reproductive technology (ART), ART is seen as the solution for overcoming infertility and other reproductive barriers. While courts in the United States have held that there is a fundamental right to procreate and a fundamental right to parent, what does reproductive rights mean for those who do not have heterosexual relationships and for those who do not wish to be in a relationship? In the presentation of his new book The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction, Hank Greely conceives of a future where sex is no longer the source for creating babies. Led by revolutionary developments in genetics and stem cell research, future babies will be created through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). While Greely views this future as inevitable, the use of PGD and IVF poses several ethical issues. The purpose of this essay is not only to explicate these ethical issues, but to engage with Greely’s presentation. In doing so, I will connect envision what Greely’s presentation would look like through a feminist lens.
As to this moment there is so much I still need to learn and understand when facing a patient. Knowing all ethical guidelines is very important; it will help me know how to respond to the patients needs. Facing a client is a very responsible job, because they come to out office looking for answers and understanding those problems that are not letting them accomplish their own dreams.
Morality as a whole tries to create a distinction between right and wrong, good and bad. Making decisions should arguably always be aimed towards good. Under the philosophical doctrine of Utilitarianism, philosophers like Bentham and Mill recognize that human kind should make their lives useful and good through bringing about happiness or pleasure. The idea of the “Greatest Happiness Principle was introduced by Bentham, who was a Utilitarian predecessor to Mill. According to Mill, human lives should abide by the “Greatest Happiness Principle.” This principle states that actions are good as they tend to promote happiness; and bad as they promote the reverse of happiness, therefore humans should make a conscious choice of action that will lead
I think like most people, what ethics means to me is when you are in a tough situation using your morels and values to make the right decision. Trying to weigh between the good and the bad. I have experienced this first hand working in Human Resources and dealing with people from all different type of backgrounds. Sometimes your personal feelings and beliefs can make the right or fair decision feel wrong. I had to learn not to let my emotions affect the right decision. I also realized having ethics in a workplace sets a boundary line to keep employees from doing things that could end up getting them fired. After conducting so many orientations it amazed me on how some people think. I worked for a retail store, and I would have to tell the
When asked what is the definition of ethics, many responded that being moral meant doing the right thing. But how can we justify what is a good action and what is a bad action? All humans were created equal, but our principles, and ways of thinking can be extremely different. Some may say doing the right thing means following your heart, your inner feelings and intuition. But emotions can be misleading. Others say in order to do what is the morally right thing means to follow the law and do what is right by society, to be accepted. But today’s society is judgmental and can be corrupted with numerous opinions due to the diversity of cultures. So what does it mean to be ethical? Being ethical means doing what is right in terms of virtues, fairness, duties, responsibilities, obligations, and moral believes all which derived from cultures and family backgrounds.
I believe that I have learned a lot in this class for the past ten weeks. At the beginning, I thought this class would only teach about how to make ethical decisions when we have a problem. However, it turned out that I learned beyond that. Not only I have acquired the lesson about ethics, I also learn to interact with people around me whom I never met before this class started. As Professor Lopez mentioned, BUS-L375 is a discussion class. As a shy type of person, I always prefer listening to other people rather than talking. The reason is because I don’t like being in the center of attention in the class. I do realize that my English is still lacking and it makes me lose confidence when it comes to talking. However, after seeing how Professor
Values and Ethics are principal to any organisation. Values can be defined as those things that are substantial/valuable to or treasured by someone, it’s what we as a professional people judge to be correct both personally and organisationally. Therefore ethics can be defined as moral standards that rule one’s actions or the administering of an activity.