Secular ethics is based on the moral philosophy in which ethics is defined on the aspects of logic, empathy and moral reasoning. It does not base on any spiritual or biblical teaching, but on what human beings, based on their free moral reasoning, believe is ethical. The secular business ethics is based on human logic to do what is logically moral based on their free thinking and moral intuition rather than the supernatural rules ( Kim, McCalman & Fisher, 2012 ). The human being through their empathy can determine what is ethical. The well-being of others is the central to ethical business decision making. The first secular view of business ethics is the utilitarian view which is based on doing what is right to protect the rights of the society members based on moral reasoning. It is not based on any supernatural rule, but on an individual ability to show empathy and the need to protect the welfare of the society ( Grassl & Habisch, 2011 ). For example, corporate social responsibility is an activity that businesses engage in to take back to the community by taking care of their well-being. This is an ethical business practice which involves helping the members of the community through various community programs.
Moral rights view and free reasoning are based on the need of the business to decide on what is morally right for the people. For example, when a business makes a moral decision that child labor and forced labor are not ethical and does not respect the rights of the individuals ( Vaughn, 2015 ). Here, the business makes moral reasoning and uses empathy to understand that people should not be forced to work against their will. However, some businesses assume common standards because of the absence of laws in place to enforce such standards. For example, unless there are laws barring businesses from using child labor, some will continue to do it irrespective of having known that it is morally wrong. Businesses can draw from common standards on the issues of corporate social responsibility.
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References
Grassl, W., & Habisch, A. (2011). Ethics and economics: Towards a new humanistic synthesis for business. Journal of Business Ethics , 99 (1), 37-49.
Kim, D., McCalman, D., & Fisher, D. (2012). The sacred/secular divide and the Christian worldview. Journal of Business Ethics , 109 (2), 203-208.
Vaughn, L. (2015). Doing ethics: Moral reasoning and contemporary issues . WW Norton & Company.
