Ethics
Ethics is a root to controversy everywhere. What one person may consider ethical, another may not consider ethical. This can cause difficulties especially when it comes to relationships whether it's between two people or two nations, as they may understand ethics differently. According to Collins Dictionary, ethics is defined as “a social, religious, or civil code of behaviour considered correct, esp that of a particular group, profession, or individual.”
Ethics is regarded as a system of moral principles which inadvertently affect how people make decisions and to some extent lead their lives. Ethics concerns itself with the good of individuals, and of the society as a whole. The term is derived from the Greek word, “ethos”, which means custom, habit, character or disposition. Ethics tend to cover a wide range of dilemmas: • how to live a good life • our rights and responsibilities • the language of right and wrong • moral decisions - what is good and bad? Our concepts of ethics have been derived from religions, philosophical ideas and cultures, and they infuse debates on topics such as abortion, human rights and professional conduct. Philosophers nowadays tend to divide ethical theories into three areas: meta-ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics. • Meta-ethics deals with the nature of moral judgement. It looks at the origins and meaning of ethical principles. • Normative ethics is concerned with the content of moral judgements and the criteria for what is right or wrong. • Applied ethics looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights and capital punishment.
“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.”
Albert Camus
"Without ethics, man has no future. This is to say, mankind without them cannot be itself. Ethics determine choices and actions and suggest difficult priorities."
John Berger
By Serena N., Anna R., Andreas C., Lukas S., Emilie S.