Morality and ethics are critical elements that the society espouses at every level. The baseline for evaluating what is good or bad, right or wrong impels the society to create some codes and standards. The codes of conducts are proposed by the different agencies in the bodies including religious organizations and the political class. The resultant effect of moral ethics is the establishment of a governable and peaceful society where all individuals are tethered to institutional values. In creating the accepted virtues, most of the societies have relied on the power of the majority. For instance, in the legislative bodies, a law will only be passed if the majority members support it. The democratic form of governance then influences another trajectory of thinking. A fundamental question that emerges is the moral underpinnings of the laws the society has adopted. It is important to note that people opposed to such laws might have a firm moral belief. The paper will evaluate how the political classes are incorporating morals and ethics in formulating rules and regulations.
The diversity of the societies plays an essential role in the creation of legal provisions. What might be accepted as morally upright in one society might fail to meet the moral obligations in another society. Whereas the morality and ethics are individualized, the net effect is manifested in the social fabric of the whole society. Politics for the longest time has been instrumental in shaping national discourse. The political classes have been empowered with a core mandate of ensuring that peace and tranquility are maintained and sustained in the community ( Niebuhr, 2013 ). Therefore, the competency of the politicians is evaluated based on the efficacy of the laws that they create and ratify. In creating the laws, the legislators provide a framework that determines the restrictions on human behavior. Any person who contravenes the laws is culpable to receive punitive or rehabilitative justice. The society expects that all individuals regardless of their status in the community must be accountable for their actions.
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Now that the key function of law is known to the public domain, it is critical to appraise whether the political class uses moral and ethical concepts while formulating the laws. The assumption that is made in this case is that all societies are democratically governed, and the opinions of the majority are superior. It is unexpected and unusual for the majority population to support a system or a regulation that is messy, unfit, and full of questionable outcomes. Normally, the majority will support what is deemed beneficial for the greater good of the society. From this point, it seems that principle of utilitarianism fits the jigsaw of democracy. According to utilitarianism doctrines, the society should only follow a course of action that has maximum benefits for many people ( Mill, 2016 ). The fault line in democracy emerges when it uses utilitarianism as a baseline for moral and ethical references. Arguably, the whole society should feel the more significant effects of the preferred ethical standpoint.
A question that emerges in most nations proclaiming to be founded on democratic pillars is the position of the minority groups. Perhaps, the minority population differs from the majority solely on the ethical and moral inclination ( Niebuhr, 2013 ). As mentioned earlier about the differential perspective of ethical and moral views, the minority groups are important members of the society whose views, grievances must be factored in when making critical legislative decisions. Conflicts in the democratic nations such as the US poke holes on the ethical and moral inclinations of the society ( Niebuhr, 2013 ). The US constitution is regarded as the epitome of legal references. The legislative bodies have worked relentlessly to formulate some of the most robust and vibrant legal provisions. However, despite the power of the constitution, the society has been grappling for many years with social issues that have raised questions whether the legal options in the country are actually connected to the moral and ethical constructions.
An example of a controversial issue that American society has faced over the years is slave trade. From any point of view, the slave trade is denigrating and dehumanizing for the subjects. However, the practice was deeply entrenched in the American system to the extent that legislation supporting the vice were created and enacted. The end game of slave trade was a violation of fundamental human rights of the slaves. In this regard, again, the role of politics is seen in exerting influence in the vice. The stunning and most surprising fact in this scenario is the dogged determination of supposedly elite group to continue propagating evil practices that are untethered to the moral and ethical values that American society has held tightly for many years ( Mill, 2016 ). It begs the question on the issue of equality among people of different ethnicity, race, religion, gender, and socioeconomic background. The disparity that is exemplified by the legal provisions that are established by the political class clearly illuminates the skewed moral and ethical inclinations.
It is logical to state that political version of moral and ethics trickle down to the ordinary citizen. Politicians are the representatives of the population. Such implies that the ideas they disseminate reflect the will of the majority. Formation of laws that promotes social injustices implies that the population has lost the sense of direction concerning the context of applicability of moral and ethical values. Mill supports utilitarianism because of the greater benefits it brings the majority of the population. Mills, however, notes that sacrifice for happiness brings pain and pain is accepted in the pursuit of happiness.
Whereas the assertions of Mills are true, its practicality in a different context may cause conflicts of interest. For instance, in the pursuit of happiness, Mills fails to outline who should bear the pain. As such, utilitarianism in politics emerges as a moral concept that promotes exploitation. Again, the proponents of slave trade focused only on the benefits of cheap labor. The slave masters would enjoy economic mobility at the expense of the slaves. However, as history shows, for each law passed, some opponents work tirelessly to revoke or sabotage such laws. Abolition of the slave trade by President Abraham Lincoln illustrates the changing moral foundations of politics. The moral and ethical underpinnings of politicians have profound effects on the global citizenship, peace, and harmony. For instance, many nations are dealing with emerging threats such as global terrorism. The policies that have been generated to combat global terrorism have two dimensions. The first dimension is the motivation to combat global terrorism, which includes protection of lives and properties. The second dimension is the effects of war on global terrorism, which again points out the destruction of lives and properties.
Another vital concept that is closely related to the central point discussion is contained in Euthyphro. The excerpt written by Plato narrates the difference in interpretation of the word pious and impious. In Euthyphro, Socrates engages a character by the name Euthyphro in an intense discussion to justify the move he has taken against his father. Euthyphro opts to pursue his father for the murder of their family worker who was also accused of slaying another person in his drunken stupor ( Allen, 2012 ). Euthyphro says his actions are morally justified and are an act of impiety. Socrates, on the other hand, seeks to understand what entails the act of piety or impiety. Socrates questions whether an act should be pious because it is pious or impious because it is impious. Relating the argument between Socrates and Euthyphro with the contemporary political issues, two elements mushroom. The first element is the legal justification for political decisions. The second element is the ethical or moral justification of political decisions.
Legal justification of political decisions is simplistic. The political organs have a solid framework, which acts as a guideline. For instance, each political institution has well-established laws that give its prerogatives and limits ( Frede, 2015 ). As such, when the Congress and the Senate, for instance, approve that the country should go to war, the political institutions are exercising their rights. The moral justification of political decisions is based on individual context. The effects of war on any nation are well known. For instance, many nations who have gone to wars are still grappling with poverty and humanitarian crisis. The loss of innocent lives and destruction of property in what is commonly referred to as the collateral damage is morally and ethically inadmissible. In the backdrop, the country engages in war because it feels the other country is harboring terrorists. From the reports on media, at times political decisions fail to meet the ethical standards that are required. Consider drone bombing of civilians causing multiple casualties. Will such a war be described as justifiable from a moral perspective? This question is rhetoric because the greater happiness of the society is compromised with such actions.
Political legislation and decisions should be predicated on the virtues as noted by Aristotle. Aristotle asserts that the science of good for humans is politics. Politics involves a group of people who discuss ideas and find common ground. The difference in opinion as noted by Plato in the play Euthyphro should be used as a reference point when making political decisions. Virtues determine moral and ethical standings of humans. The political undertakings should be guided by moral and ethical consequences ( Frede, 2015 ). Seemingly, political organizations have focused more on the legal ramifications rather than ethical constructions. Conclusively, it is imperative that political class should consider the ethical and moral holdings of decisions with a goal of promoting a just global society. The ethical and moral inclination in politics is a fundamental concept that cut across all geopolitical landscape. Substantive ethical considerations in making political decisions will plug the loopholes in the moral fabrics that the society is facing.
References
Allen, R. E. (2012). Plato's Euthyphro and the Earlier Theory of Forms (RLE: Plato): A Re-Interpretation of the Republic . Routledge.
Frede, D. (2015). Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics. In The Routledge Companion to Virtue Ethics (pp. 41-54). Routledge.
Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy (pp. 337-383). Routledge.
Niebuhr, R. (2013). Moral man and immoral society: A study in ethics and politics . Westminster John Knox Press.
