Inventing for the Environment

Lecture Notes on Ethics

by Pat Werhane

Minimum Conception of Reality - James Rachels

"At the the very least, morality is the effort to guide one's conduct by reason -- that is, when you consider all the things you can do, examine the rights of each individual who will be affected by your actions, then pick the actions that have the best reasons for doing them."

What is Ethics?

Ethics is:

• The study of morality, moral principles, and moral decision making
• The development of reasonable standards and procedures for ethical decision-making
• A set of normative rules of conduct, a code, a standard or set of standards that govern what one ought to do when the well-being, rights, or duties to oneself, others, or institutions is at stake
• Has to do with what one should do, all things considered, not what, in fact, any of us will so in a particular instance

An Ethical Issue

• Affects other people and/or other institutions
• Entails a normative dimension
  • Right or Wrong
  • Good or Bad
• Values, customs, mores, or accepted practices are in conflict or at stake
• Involves a choice of alternative in which one has control over deciding the alternative
• Arises when legality, professional codes, or company policy does not determine how the issue should be resolved

Identifying Ethical Issues

1. What is at Issue?
   • An individual action?
   • The possible outcome of an action, set of actions, or outcomes?
   • A corporate actions, set of actions, or outcomes?
   • A procedure or policy? A goal?
   • The structure of the organization or division?
   • Is this a systematic problem?
2. Who is affected?
3. Is the situation legal or illegal?
4. Is there a violation of company policy? Of a code?
5. Are professional standards or codes at issue?
6. Are there potential role conflicts?
7. What mores, values or standard are at stake?
8. Why is this an ethical issue?

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Unless otherwise noted this page and all its contents and subdocuments are copyright 1994 by Michael E. Gorman.

This page was last edited: Sunday, July 18, 1999