Right And Wrong Ethics Essay
Deana Hite
Prof. Bradley
Intro to Ethics
February 18, 2015
Right and Wrong
How do people determine what is right and what is wrong, good or bad? How many times in one’s lifetime must he or she be faced with that question? Is the right choice always the moral choice, and who decides that it was, in fact, the correct choice? When it comes to ethical questions, there seem to be blurred lines from what is right and what is wrong. Merriam-Webster Dictionary outlines ethics as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation,” also as a “set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values,” (ethic, defs. 1 and 2a). Could it be that a person’s morals are strongly tied to how that person was raised or is it deeper, such as keeping their own personal interest in mind? One such way to gauge the differences between right and wrong would mean to take “crimes”, such as theft or stealing, and apply it into today’s cultural context. It can be inferred, therefore, that the modern basis for the righteousness of crimes should be measured using the antiquated, yet applicable, Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would want others to do to you.
If a person feels that he or she must steal food or supplies to provide for his or her family, they are really saying that “it’s ok to steal because it’s in the best interest of my family,” but most people would say that it is still wrong no matter the reason of the situation. Human values that deal with right versus wrong, that we as people have to decide on our own accord, what is right and what is wrong. According to Nagal, if the person who stole considered their consequences of her or his actions, they would change her or his mind if him or her stopped to ask, “How would I like it if someone did that to me?” (Nagal 69). It is observed that this, indeed, shows how the practical and moral application of the Golden Rule can really work in terms of discouraging other people from bestowing harm or
Prof. Bradley
Intro to Ethics
February 18, 2015
Right and Wrong
How do people determine what is right and what is wrong, good or bad? How many times in one’s lifetime must he or she be faced with that question? Is the right choice always the moral choice, and who decides that it was, in fact, the correct choice? When it comes to ethical questions, there seem to be blurred lines from what is right and what is wrong. Merriam-Webster Dictionary outlines ethics as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation,” also as a “set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values,” (ethic, defs. 1 and 2a). Could it be that a person’s morals are strongly tied to how that person was raised or is it deeper, such as keeping their own personal interest in mind? One such way to gauge the differences between right and wrong would mean to take “crimes”, such as theft or stealing, and apply it into today’s cultural context. It can be inferred, therefore, that the modern basis for the righteousness of crimes should be measured using the antiquated, yet applicable, Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would want others to do to you.
If a person feels that he or she must steal food or supplies to provide for his or her family, they are really saying that “it’s ok to steal because it’s in the best interest of my family,” but most people would say that it is still wrong no matter the reason of the situation. Human values that deal with right versus wrong, that we as people have to decide on our own accord, what is right and what is wrong. According to Nagal, if the person who stole considered their consequences of her or his actions, they would change her or his mind if him or her stopped to ask, “How would I like it if someone did that to me?” (Nagal 69). It is observed that this, indeed, shows how the practical and moral application of the Golden Rule can really work in terms of discouraging other people from bestowing harm or
Cited: Cahn, Steven M. "Right and Wrong." In Exploring Ethics: An Introductory Anthology, 67-70. Third ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster 's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam- Webster, 2003.