The Exception Proves the Rule

Ethics is a systematic approach using linear logic to determine what is considered “right” and what is considered “wrong” pertaining to a particular situation or scenario. In addition to considering what is right and wrong, the rights of society as a whole and the rights of the individual are also taken into account when making an ethical decision. Ethics can be thought of as the rules and guidelines that are used as a rubric to protect people from what may be potentially harmful to them. Morals are personal, they describe what an individual perceives as right and wrong, the differences in morals and ethics often lead to opposing outlooks and interpretations in certain circumstances. Many styles of thought have developed while attempting to define what is ethical.

A common style of ethics is utilitarianism. The basis of this kind of thought process is that something can be defined as right or wrong by analyzing the consequences. The act itself is not taken into consideration as heavily as the results of the action (Thompson 2007). Utilitarian ethics is only clearly applicable to a very narrow range of situations; the ex post facto nature of this style limits the extent of how often the ends actually justify the means. An example of a utilitarian situation would be: if given the option, a single person from a group dying is better than the entire group of people dying (Tobler et al 2008). This would be a situation that involves the least harm or greatest amount of happiness or goodness. The postulate becomes more complicated if the single person is not a part of the original group of condemned people. This illustrates how the utilitarian approach seems to be an inclusive straight forward way to make ethical decisions. But, on clos...

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...e situation is taken into consideration rather than just the act or consequence alone.

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Thompson D (2007). Principles of ethics: in managing a critical care unit. Crit Care Med 35: S2-10.

Tobler P, Kalis A, Kalenscher T (2008). The role of moral utility in decision making: an interdisciplinary framework. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 8: 390-401.

Visser A, Dijkstra G, Kuiper D, Jong P, Franssen C, Gansevoort R, Izaks G, Jager K, Reijneveld (2009). Accepting or declining dialysis: considerations taken into account by elderly patients with end-stage renal disease. JNephronl 6: 794-799.