What is a philosophy of ethical behavior?

           “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. The ultimate learned ethical behavior is contained in the ancient translation of the Golden Rule. This ethical behavior is not an inherent thought process we instantly attain at birth. Learning to make ethical choices begins at birth and is a life-long growth process. Ethical behavior is the result of character building behaviors which occur during and throughout life. Ethics are a requirement for deciding on a course of action. Ethical belief systems are established and learned early in life through environments of home, school, religion and social gatherings which mold and shape those ethical beliefs.

           A general accepted definition is that, ethics is the systematic study of the rules for behavior and conduct. Learning ethical behavior is completing all the pieces in a lifetime jigsaw puzzle comprised of various puzzle pieces of learned and observed ethical behaviors. Ethics can be simply stated as societal standards of right and wrong or good and bad. Such standards of ethics are supported by consistent and historically founded reasons. Ethics are concerned with what one should do to fulfill one’s moral duty. 

           Accepted ethics can vary widely based on cultures differences and religious beliefs. Immanuel Kant argued that there are absolutely necessary commands in moral philosophy, which he called “categorical imperatives”, but also insisted that moral philosophy required a fundamentally different approach to things. Kant said that we should treat all people as ends in themselves rather than just as means to our own ends. He believed that ethics were learned behaviors that grew and matured as we grow and mature. Duties apply to all of us in the exact same way with no exceptions and your will determines the morality of the act – not the outcome. 

           Ethics is a learned behavior that is only realized if we focus on, and believe in, our personal potential. Societies and people who live in the society do not exist in a vacuum. Our behaviors are learned, formed, influenced and validated by our family, friends and peers. Ethical attitudes are based on learned values that are developed over time and as a result of cultural, family, and religious affiliations. Ethics is a learned behavior that grows and matures during the developmental philosophical and psychological stages of life

           Attempting to define an ethical decision is a difficult task. Ethical behavior is influenced by culture, religion and community standards. An ethical decision is a decision that is both legally and morally acceptable to the decision maker. The study of ethics is not concerned with the way people act, rather with the way people should act. According to Achille Silvestrini, Cardinal of the Roman Curia, “Ethics must not stay at home when we go to work”. 

According to Immanuel Kant historian of ethics, “the senses and the mind had to work together”. Kant’s philosophy proposed principles of ethical morality that included historical personal self-consciousness and self-conception. Kant preferred the principle of moral feeling over that of physical feeling or happiness. People act, make judgments, life decisions, and live on the basis of learned personal ethical behaviors. Kant claims that outcomes are irrelevant to doing the right thing because outcomes are impossible to predict. He further argued we must be consistent in our ethical thinking and consistent in the way we relate to, and treat others. A main point of Kant’s teachings was his firm belief that one should never lie under any circumstances.

The Wall Street Journal published an editorial announcing that college ethics courses are useless because ethics cannot be taught. This argument would lead to the conclusion that ethics are a natural behavior. Many people doubt the necessity of ethics courses because they do not believe that ethics can be taught or learned in classrooms. Critics declare it is hard to change habits, beliefs and values and such change should not be the primary goal of an ethics course. The primary goal should be teaching students accepted ethical systems of behavior.

Almost 2500 years ago, the philosopher Socrates debated the question of ethics with his fellow Athenians. Socrates’ position was clear: Ethics consist of knowing what we ought to do, and such ethical knowledge can be taught. Socrates believed ethics could be learned and ethical behavior could be developed. For Socrates, ethics were demonstrated by living an ethical life. Socrates sought knowledge as a means of ethical action. According to Socrates, knowledge and virtue are one, in the sense that the wise man, he who knows what is right, will also do what is right. 

Aristotle agreed with his tutor Socrates and said in his Nicomachean Ethics that goodness is in the actor, not the action. An act is virtuous because of the manner in which a person has chosen it. Additionally, Aristotle thought that people were inclined to be good and desired happiness. If they acted wrongly, it was due to not understanding the intent of their actions. Aristotle taught that wrong came from human error, not human intent. He continued by teaching that in order to learn and grow from studying, one must have already been brought up in good habits. 

Aristotle wrote that we are all born with the potential to become ethically virtuous and practically wise, but to achieve these goals we must complete two stages: during childhood, we must develop the proper habits; and then, when reason is fully developed, we must acquire practical wisdom. Ethical virtue is fully developed only when it is combined with practical wisdom. Aristotle says the ethical virtues are no different from technical skills: every skilled worker knows how to avoid excess and deficiency. Aristotle, offered the idea that good was the product of a life of moderation and balance and called this the “golden means”. He believed that seeking the “golden means” would result in actions done with balance and moderations.  

Ethics are a product of lifetime experiences and the implementation of accepted philosophical principles and truths. The development of ethical judgment continues throughout life in a series of mutually reinforcing experiences. It is a complex and cumulative process of social interaction with parents, peers, and other significant relationships. Ethical behaviors are influenced over our life-times by learning from others and the observation of others behavior. Ethical behavior is not based on DNA and genetic code it is based on a lifetime of learned behavior. The implementation of learned ethical principles can successfully alter and improve our lives.

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