Throughout everyday life, people are usually faced with the task of determining whether certain decisions are right or wrong. Ethics can be described as a branch of philosophy which addresses the different issues of morality. Ethics can thus be described as a moral philosophy that deals with the question of good and evil, vice and virtue, and right and wrong. Some of the questions that could be addressed include the right thing to do, what it means to be a good person, virtue and happiness, and how culture and society affect virtuous actions and morality.
What is the “right thing to do”
Ethics involve the identifying of the right or wrong thing. The right thing to do is based on moral principle and is dependent on the situation. Doing the right thing means being able to make a good decision and choice among different possibilities. It involves acting in wisdom and in a way that involves doing what one ought to do.
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What Does It Mean to Be A “Good Person”?
Being good means to be beneficial to something or someone. It involves performing activities that obey moral rules and activities that would be beneficial to the environment and creating an environment where everyone flourishes. One should consider that the consequences of their actions are positive in order to be described as a good person. A good person would be expected to display several characteristics such as love, humility, kindness, self-control, and selflessness.
Does Virtue Lead to Happiness
Virtuous behaviors lead to happiness because it leads to coherence in one’s thoughts, works, and speech. Virtue also leads to several other advantages such as freeing the mind of greed, lies, and abusive speech and avoiding stealing, sexual misconduct, and stealing which all lead to a happy life. Virtue involves being true to the principles of nature which leads to a happy life. It creates harmony, reduces conflict, and people flourish because conflict is minimized (Crespo & Mesurado, 2015). Such flourishing is usually associated with happiness.
Do the ends justify the means, or is a virtuous action virtuous in and of itself?
A virtuous action can be described as virtuous in and of itself. A heinous action that is done with good intent can thus be described as heinous in and of itself. For instance, torturing someone is a heinous act even though it can produce accurate information. A heinous act no matter the intentions or the result of the actions will be heinous while a virtuous act in and of itself is virtuous.
How does living in a society affect morality?
Society is the place where one can learn morals and society can either strengthen or weaken morals. The society that one grows up in and lives in thus affects one’s morals. One can thus state that there is no objective right and wrong but it depends on the society that one has grown up in. One thing that could be considered moral in one society could be considered immoral in another society.
Is morality culturally based or individually based, or is there a universal morality?
Morality is culturally based since the culture that one lives has morals which they consider right. Different cultures thus have different moral codes which they follow. Morality is thus conditioned by cultural norms. Individualistic morals can also be best understood by considering cultural morals. For instance, practices that are considered morally right in the Middle East is different from that which is considered right by the American culture.
Conclusion
Ethics is a branch of moral philosophy which can be understood by answering several questions. The right thing to do involves performing activities that are based on moral principles. Being good involves performing activities that could be beneficial for the surrounding environment and society. Virtue leads to happiness because it has several advantageous actions. A virtuous action is virtuous in and of itself and is not justified by the results. Culture and society affect morality because it is a place where one learns their morals. Different cultures and societies thus have different morals.
References
Crespo, R. F., & Mesurado, B. (2015). Happiness economics, eudaimonia, and positive psychology: From happiness economics to flourishing economics. Journal of Happiness Studies , 16 (4), 931-946.
