What Does Ethics Mean?

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.

To be ethical also meant that one has to be reasonable. Although most people would relate the term ethics with feelings but feelings can be unstable making it hard to make rational decisions. No doubt that emotions are powerful, but they’re also temporary causing regrets if unwanted actions does take place. When one is angry, frustrated, jealous, or sad, it’s hard to separate what is right from wrong. People have been killed or seriously injured only because they have cut someone off on the road or say some things that the other person did not like hearing. "Reason" on the other hand are supposed to guide people in the right direction and avoid what is bad. People have to live their life with reasons. Take a war, for an example, if people were going to war just because they feel like it then thousands of people would end up dead but for what cause? One of the criteria for a “j...

... middle of paper ...

...a rational decision. Feelings are temporary, yes. But without feelings, reasons became invalid and meaningless. Ethics means doing what one believes is the right and best choice for them and what is right to me might not be right to others. Virtues, responsibilities, obligations, and believes all contribute to how people see and analyze things. We are all diverse in how we see and comprehend situations and how we feel about each situation will change how we reason our actions. So should ethics be base on reasons or feelings? I believe that it should be the base on both. Feelings will always be apart of the human nature, and it is what influences our life choices daily. Reasons are ropes that help us remain calm and make rational decisions. When combine feelings with reasons, one can be sure that he/she is making a rational decision that is morally right for him/her.