Ethics is defined as the accepted rule of conduct within a certain organization. It is a social code of behavior which governs a certain organization or members of a certain group or community. The associations can be a business organization, medical institution or a religious organization. Ethics should be distinguished from morality. Morality is defined as the conduct or the behavior of an individual. On the other hand, ethics is the accepted behavior of a group of people. For example, there were different ethical organizations which have different rules. These organizations include the church, the government, a business organization or a club organization. The ethical standards for members of the church are very different from the rules of members of a football club. People from different religion usually have different ethical rules.
For instance, according to the ethical belief of the sharia laws in a Muslim faith, stealing is punishable by cutting off one's hand. However; the same case differs from the statute rules in United States of America. The statute civil rule claims that stealing is punishable with a fine or prison sentence. When the moral code of people matches with their ethical beliefs, the world is usually said to be in a comfortable state. Different organization’s ethical beliefs may go against the governmental rules. For example, the catholic Christian ethical beliefs suggest that abortion is not allowed. However, the governmental rules indicate that the doctor can be able to do an abortion in a condition where the mother’s life is in danger.
A case where a different organization’s ethical belief differs leads to ethical questions. Ethical questions are issues that resulted in disagreement between the various ethics in various organizations. For example, the question of abortion and murder is an ethical question. For instance, abortion usually removes the unborn zygote, fetus or a baby. Murder, on the other hand, is the act of killing another human being. If we grant that the unborn fetus, zygote or the child as a human being, will perform an abortion become a murder? This case will be determined by different beliefs of various ethical groups. In addition, another ethical question usually arises on the issue of mercy killing. Should mercy kill be allowed? Somebody viewing the case from different ethical group, such as religious ethics, may suggest that human beings should not determine who lives and who does not live. However, looking at the case from medical ethics, you may wonder why should somebody waste a lot of money paying the hospital bill for a dying person?
In business ethics, there are also ethical dilemmas that employees face every day. For instance, in the case where the employees may be tempted to leave the working place early. An ethical policy should clearly explain the rules that employees should take if they want to take an off from the working place early. The employees may claim to be meeting clients while they are rushing for their personal errands.
The real meaning of being ethical is more than understanding what the right thing to do is. The ethical meaning of doing a good thing is well-defined as, doing the right thing while no one is watching. When something becomes desirable, it does not mean that it is ethically correct. An example of ethics in the modern world usually occurs in the medical ethics. A proper example is the case of euthanasia. The major problems which commonly arise in modern ethics occur when there is a conflict between ethics and morals. In such cases, people usually take decisions on whether to act ethically or morally right. An example of modern ethics is in the case of medical ethics. Medical ethics involves discussions of the moral problems which usually occur when practicing medicine. The lives of human beings always require doctors hence there is a need for the family and doctor to come into a situation where they have to make some decisions. In addition, the case of euthanasia or mercy killing, we can explain the concept of modern ethical dilemma. There are two types of euthanasia. That is the passive and active euthanasia. Viewing euthanasia on moral views, human being should not determine the fate of another human being. No human should give another human being a mercy killing since life is not given by human beings (Karnack 2007).
However, viewing the case according to the medical ethics mercy, killing should be done by doctors if there is no hope of the person healing. An ethical doctor will ask you, 'what is the reason of increasing the medical bills on a patient who is going to die? ‘Whether should Euthanasia be allowed in our society or not allowed leads to ethical dilemma. For instance, if you have a parent who is so sick of cancer and full of pain in the bed. The doctors have tried their best and found that your parent cannot be healed. The modern ethical dilemma will arise on whether to either accept the euthanasia or end the suffering of the parent or to wait and see the parent suffering in bed without anything hope. (Karnack 2007)
References
Erll, A., Grabes, H., & Nnning, A. (2008). Ethics in Culture: The Dissemination of Values through Literature and Other Media. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Karnicky, J. (2007). Contemporary fiction and the ethics of modern culture. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
