PRACTICAL ETHICS

Practical ethics has only recently come into its own as a sub-discipline within philosophy. The development of interest among academic philosophers in the aesthetics of everyday life is somewhat analogous to the broader development in moral philosophy of "applied" or practical ethics. It is necessary to say a little about ethics so that we have a clear understanding of what we are doing when we discuss ethical questions.

What is Ethics? .. What is Practical Ethics? ..

    Ethics is the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members. Practical ethics is meant to concern substantive moral issues facing many of us each day, such as abortion or climate change. The subject of normative or theoretical ethics is the more abstract principles that might enable us to make decisions about these practical issues. Practical ethics at its best exhibits the virtues of any good philosophy: it avoids unqualified grand claims; it is careful, clear, thoughtful, and theoretically informed. Specifically, it is the explicit discussion of practical ethical issues, by philosophers, in their capacity as philosophers.

Theory and Practice

When people talk about the relation of theory to practice, they sometimes speak, or suggest, that we merely apply a theory, perhaps the way an engineer might apply a mathematical formula in designing a bridge. The old (and still widely used) name "Applied Ethic" feeds this supposition. It implies that we have a theory, and that from that theory, in conjunction with the description of the current situation, we can straightforwardly derive the appropriate action. Thus, the relation between ethical theory and practical ethical deliberation is roughly the relationship between Newton's second law and the force of an accelerating car. By using the law and the statement of initial conditions, we can calculate the force of the moving vehicle. What is crucial in both the moral and the scientific cases is that we must first have the correct theory. The theory dictates the answer to the practical issue.

What Ethics is not?

Some values are ethical because they are universally accepted: honesty, trustworthiness, kindness, responsibility, and so on. Others are non ethical; they pertain to individual desires but not universal ones: wealth, power, fame and prestige.

Ethics is not Primarily About Sex

Old morality-(narrow view) religious leaders attacking “declining moral standards” this was the dominant morality of the 1950s and before

• Against promiscuity, homosexuality and pornography
• Silent on international aid and environmental protection

Ethics isn‟t concerned with prohibitions with sex, but instead with honesty, concern for others, prudence and avoidance of harm when it comes to sex.

Ethics is not “Good in theory but not in practice”

Ethics is not an ideal system that lacks legitimate practices. Rather “an ethical judgment that is no good in practice must suffer from theoretical defect”. Abstract rules appear inapplicable to the real world: don‟t steal or kill.

There are three traditions. Those are:

1. Deontology

This views ethics as a system of rules: they fin and rank rules, according to their complexity, is a hierarchy

• Ethics is a system of rules
• If the rules fail, find the a new rule
• It is a hierarchy

2. Consequentialism

This starts with goals not moral rules: they asses action in their relation to furthering goals.

• Instead of rules, there are goals
• Must find and assess actions to meet goals

3. Utilitarianism

This is the classic view. An action is right “if it produces more happiness for all affected by it than any alternative action and wrong if it does not.”

• More happiness = net happiness after deducting suffering and misery cause
• If two actions tie for producing happiness, either is right
• They never lack realism, or firm belief is abstract rule

Ethics is not Based on Religion

When academics talk about ethics, they are typically referring to decisions about right and wrong. While religion makes claims about cosmology, social behavior, and the “proper” treatment of others, etc. Ethics are based on logic and reason rather than tradition or injunction.

Ethics is not Relative to the Society in which You Live

Ethical relativism is not a platitude because the relativist is committed to the belief that one action that is right in one group is wrong in another group. (The relativist is not just saying that the action is considered right and wrong.

Ethics is not Merely a Matter of Subjective Taste or Opinion

Ethical principles are not a matter of subjective preference. All reasonable people are obligated to respect clear-cut ethical concepts and principles. Ethical concepts and principles should be distinguished from the norms and taboos of society and peer group, religious teachings, political ideologies, and the law.

CONCLUSION

Ethics is the philosophical discipline that concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong. Practical ethics is meant to concern substantive moral issues facing many of us each day. Practical ethics tries to relate professional rules and clinical experience to the broader social context in which professionals practice, and to the deeper moral assumptions on which professions depend. There is a framework of ethics underlying our lives on a daily basis, helping us make decisions that create positive impacts and steering us away from unjust outcomes. Ethics guides us to make the world a better place through the choices we make. Therefore, It is very important to practice ethics. 

REFFERENCES : "About Ethics" in Practical ethics - Singer, Peter,,  https://www.coursehero.com https://www.wikipedia.org/