Ethics is a branch of philosophy that used to study ideal human behavior
and ideal ways of being. Ethics is a systematic approach to understanding,
analyzing, and distinguishing matters of right and wrong, good and bad,
and admirable and deplorable as they relate to the well-being of and the
relationships among sentient beings. Feelings and emotions are a normal
part of everyday life and can playa legitimate role in doing ethics.However,
people sometimes allow their emotions to overtake good reasoning, and
when this happens, it does not provide a good foundation
ethics – related decisions. Evaluations generated through the practice of
ethics require a balance of emotion and reason.
ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE
Ethical thinking, valuing, and reasoning fall somewhere along a
continuum between two opposing views ethical relativism and ethical
objectivism.
ETHICAL RELATIVISM
Is the belief that it is acceptable for ethics and morality differ among
people or societies. There are two types of ethical relativism:
A.) Ethical subjectivism
Believe that individual create their own morality and that there are no objective moral
truths only individual opinions. Example, people’s beliefs about actions being right or
wrong or good or bad, depend on how people feel about actions rather than on reason
or systematics analysis. What is believed by one person to be wrong might not be
viewed as wrong by one’s neighbor depending on variations in opinions and feelings.
B.) Cultural relativism
What is wrong in one culture may not be so in another. This type of thinking can be
dangerous because it theoretically may support relativist exploitative or hurtful actions.
An example of cultural relativism is the belief that the act of female circumcision is a
moral practice.
