Download What Is Ethics?

What Is Ethics?
 Ethics is the branch of philosophy that focuses on moral
principles and codes of conduct (Wood, 2010, p.27).
 Ethics is the study of the general nature of morals and of the
specific moral choices to be made by a person (Tubbs &
Moss, 2005, p.226).
 Ethics is the study of those values that relate to our moral
conduct, including questions of good and evil, right and
wrong, and moral responsibility (Fail, 2008).
The Connection Between Ethics, Morals, and
Individual Responsibility
 Morals can be defined as the values of a given society; what
individuals deem to be right or wrong (Tubbs & Moss, 2005,
p.226).
 When examining and becoming more aware of our own
values, we become more responsible for the consequences of
our actions (Tubbs & Moss, 2005, p.226).
 Because interpersonal communication is irreversible and
affects others, it always has ethical implications (Wood,
2010,p.27)
What Ethics IS
 What you believe/why you believe it/how you act out those
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beliefs
Personal and public display of personal attitudes and beliefs
Changing through different situations
An aid to decision making
According to Aristotle
A standard of behavior
An area of study exploring the nature of morality
What Ethics Is NOT
 Religion
 Political stance
 Fad
 Laws
 Absolutes
 Something that can only be understood by extremely
educated people
Importance of Ethics
 As a student:
 Related to critical thinking
 Academic honesty
 Engage in life-long learning to improve professional
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competence and practice
As a professional:
Professional values
Treatment of customers/ coworkers
Business integrity
The Critical Thinking Process
 Following are the basic steps to the critical thinking process:
 1. Discover a problem/situation/challenge that needs a solution. This
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can be anything from developing a presentation, choosing a political
candidate, job hunting, arguing a position, or fixing a washing machine.
2. Research the problem/situation/challenge to the best of your ability,
considering the availability of information and time constraints, to reach
a better understanding.
3. Compile viable alternatives based on your research.
4. Debate the viability of each alternative.
5. Choose the best alternative based on all information.
6. Implement the alternative.
7. Evaluate the solution for effectiveness. Evaluation should be an
ongoing activity, as what is effective today may not be tomorrow or next
year.
Recognizing Critical Thinking
 Critical thinking is a productive and positive
activity: Critical thinkers are actively engaged with life.
They see themselves as creating and re-creating aspects of
their personal, workplace, and political lives. They appreciate
creativity, they are innovators, and they exude a sense that
life is full of possibilities.
 Critical thinking is a process, not an outcome: Being
critical thinkers entails a continual questioning of
assumptions.
Recognizing Critical Thinking
 Critical thinking is emotive as well as rational: As we try to
think critically and help others to do so, we cannot help but become
aware of the importance of emotions to this activity. Asking critical
questions about our previously accepted values, ideals, and behaviors is
anxiety producing. As we abandon assumptions that had been inhibiting
our development, we experience a sense of
 Critical thinking is triggered by positive as well as negative
events: A theme common to many discussions of critical thinking is that
this activity usually results from people having experienced traumas or
tragedies in their lives. It is also true, however, that critical thinking is
triggered by a joyful, pleasing, or fulfilling event - a "peak" experience
such as falling in love, or being unexpectedly successful in some new
workplace role.