A Discussion on Different Types of Ethics

Ethics is basically concerned with people’s moral obligations to others. This is to mean that ethics is a moral standard or a set of moral standards that guide people on the right and wrong behavior. According to the Josephson Institute of Ethics (), ethics is about how people meet the challenge of doing the right thing when that will cost more than we want to pay. Moral standards can be described as principles having their basis on cultural, religious and philosophical beliefs, and they guide judgment regarding bad or good behavior. One rule that is used in defining ethics is the Golden Rule. In its simplest form, the Golden Rule can be stated as, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. However, can this rule be considered as a universal standard for ethics?

Yes, the Golden rule offers the most universal standard of ethical or moral conduct. According to the Josephson Institute (1), the Golden Rule is the basis of any formulation of moral duty. It is guided by the fact that every individual has a moral obligation to another. In human nature, people live in groups and are mutually interdependent among them. Therefore, it is likely that each individual would want to treat others as he or she would want them to treat him or her. The Golden Rule is not just derived from Jesus’ teaching during the Sermon on the Mount. It has roots in several cultures all over the world which include Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Taoism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Humanism, Islam, and Christianity.

Human beings often put themselves in other people’s situations and that is why they are able to feel other people’s pain. For this reason, they are able to treat others fairly and compassionately. However, there are those ...

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...s and the country at large.

Works Cited

Anderson, Stephen. The Golden Rule: Not so Golden Anymore. Philosophy Now, April 2014. Web. 05 May 2014.

Cohen, Stephen. Good Ethics is Good Business. University of New South Wales, 2007, pp. 1-10.

Harkin, Tom. Raising Minimum Wage: A Moral Imperative. Politico, 24 June 2013. Web. 05 May 2014.

Josephson, Michael. Duty to Others and the Golden Rule. Josephson Institute of Ethics, 15 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 May 2014.

Naughton, Michael and Cornwall, Jeffrey. Culture as the Basis of the Good Entrepreneur. Journal of Religion and Business Ethics, 2009; 1(1): 1-15.

Reich, Robert B. The Minimum Wage and the Moral Basis of Our Labor. United States Department of Labor, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014.

Reichheld, Fred. Why the Golden Rule is Good Business. LinkedIn, 06 Nov. 2012. Web. 05 May 2014.