7 Sep 2022

736

Ethics vs. Right and Wrong: What's the Difference?

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Academic level: Ph.D.

Paper type: Research Paper

Words: 1121

Pages: 4

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The debate about ethics is sometimes misplaced especially in the contemporary world where there are societal standards that an individual is bound to follow. Apparently, many have a different opinion on whether being ethical has something to do with doing the right or wrong things in a particular society. While many opinions have their place in the table of debates, it will be wrong to say that being ethical should be equated to following set laws. Although some rules consist of ethical standards, it can sometimes deviate from what is being ethical right. This paper proposes to discuss the issues involving that ethical is equal to right and that unethical is transposed to being wrong. 

In essence, ethics is founded on strong standards of right and wrong, a virtue that prescribe what an individual ought to do or not. When ethics are defined to an extent that imposes a reasonable thought, then one can argue that it is right. However, it is puzzling to understand that what might be right for an individual is not necessarily right to the societal rules and regulations (Michalos, 2017). In such situation, it is therefore right to say that ethical takes the shape of being right and wrong and does not necessarily mean one has to be right to be ethical. However, making wise and well thought personal decision has a lot to do with being ethical upright. This decision does not have to be affected by the set societal standards for them to be right, but from a personal point of view. The debate that that ethical is right is perhaps taken from moral beliefs, a standpoint that in most instances satisfies the threshold of human moral well-being. 

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While ethical is a dilemma that explores the question of what we ought to do, one has to view an issue with high intuition in terms of actions involved in context to others. The position that is often taken on an ethical thought depends on two aspects: values as well as priorities. Primarily, values are those virtues that people hold critical for their sense of who they are. They are mostly expressed in senses such as it is not right to lie or being loyal to the superiors in a given workplace is essential. These are the things that often develop with time and are influenced by religious as well as family ties. In some instances, people fail to agree on the right things because of a given situation. This situation always calls people to prioritize their decisions and sometimes can deviate from what is considered moral. Ethical notions should never be obtained from being loyalty for it to be right. Sometimes it is important to sideline ourselves from the notion that rules are there to guide us in the right direction. In such aspect then moral is always right and a well thought is said to be in play. Most people might want to be ethical as well as being right yet they don’t follow a well-thought intuition about their personal responsibility of judging the situation to make a viable decision. 

The debate about ethics is a never-ending one and many argue depending on the angle they want to make a judgment. However, being right is not necessarily being ethical. The notion of being unethical does not extend to being wrong and only depends on a given situation, a rationale that bound decision making. Making wrong decisions is a mistake that people doing and sometimes it is because of situation (Godwyn, 2017). This does not mean that being wrong is unethical. Unethical values can sometimes mislead someone to follow a wrong path and therefore end up being judged depending on the choices they take. One has to look critically at the values that constitute ethics to have a clear and upright judgment. Many people confuse what is ethical based on the societal rules and regulations. It is therefore not right to be confined within ethical limitations without weighing out a particular situation before making a particular decision. Ethical is not necessarily right, an aspect that needs a well thought especially when a critical decision has to be made. 

Is there some path of knowing what is right or not? Does society have anything left to offer? Maybe religion can tell better on the aspect of right, wrong, and what it has to do with being morally upright. However, decisions are the fact that makes up ethics and all are dependent on each other (Braswell, McCarthy, R., & McCarthy J., 2017). Being ethically wrong depends on how we look at things and the decisions that led us to such paths. It is important to say that respect is important in daily being and goes long way to recognizing that every human being has values in themselves. Additionally, human understanding and the capacity to determine personal life as well as making a decision considering the turn of an event of a particular situation is critical to making right choices. Sometimes we are bound to overstep the point of ethics to make right decisions yet unethical. 

Primarily, it is true to say that an ethical person often knows deep inside his or her soul that a particular action they are asked to perform is wrong. Such people are ethical; however, they may still do a wrong thing due to the immense pressure from outside forces rather than from themselves. It is therefore clear that one does not have to be right to be ethical and the reverse is basically true. In case we are to change the decline in ethics especially in the society, there is need of focusing on strengthening ethical values as well as learning how to give voices to the very values that define ethical dilemmas. Sometimes it may require advice from a different individual in coming up with an upright solution to a problem without jeopardizing the virtues that constitute to ethical well-being (Pojman & Fieser, 2017). It takes heart to do what is right and yet adhere to the basis of ethics without compromising what society thinks. In the end, people gain respect, not because of following ethics but doing what is right especially in a particular situation. While people are easy to judge, in the long run following the unethical path might be the right choice. 

While ethical might not translate to right, unethical does not mean that one is wrong either. In conclusion, societal limitations are perhaps the barrier that lies in defining what ethical decision entail. From a standpoint, decisions based on the situations are what determines whether someone is ethically wrong or right. Maybe the debate should be whether right translates to an ethical situation, and then it would be easier to judge. However, a wise decision comes a long way in determining whether set ethical standards ought to have been followed anyway. Sometimes individuals are called to make right decisions and therefore going against the will of ethical jurisdictions. This is, therefore, a clear indication that ethical is never equal to right and one is required to assess their decision making criterions. 

References 

Braswell, M. C., McCarthy, B. R., & McCarthy, B. J. (2017). Justice, crime, and ethics. Taylor & Francis. 

Godwyn, M. (2017). The banality of good and evil: Ethics courses in business management education. In Dimensional Corporate Governance (pp. 37-48). Springer International Publishing. 

Michalos, A. C. (2017). Ethics counselors as a new priesthood. In How Good Policies and Business Ethics Enhance Good Quality of Life (pp. 273-292). Springer, Cham. 

Pojman, L. P., & Fieser, J. (2017). Cengage Advantage Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong. Nelson Education. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 15). Ethics vs. Right and Wrong: What's the Difference? .
https://studybounty.com/ethics-vs-right-and-wrong-whats-the-difference-research-paper

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