Ethical Basis for Laws
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Ethics - deciding what is right or wrong
in a reasoned, impartial manner
 Decision must affect you or others in a significant way
 Reasoned out by referring to an established authority
that provides consistency
 The law and religious texts provide authority
 Impartial decision - same ethical standards are applied
to everyone
 Profit maximization may cause businesses to overlook
ethics
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Consequence-based Ethical
Reasoning
• Look for alternative ways to alter the
current situation
• Alternative that generates the greatest
good
• Who will be receiving “the good” often
is a major consideration
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Rule-Based
Ethical Reasoning
 Acts are judged as right or wrong
 Standard for judging comes from a recognized authority
or human reasoning
 Authority is frequently
a religious source
(example: Ten Commandments)
 Universalizing - picture everyone doing the action and
then asking would the result be irrational, illogical or
demeaning
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Ethics Reflected in Laws
U.S. Democracy - representatives must
vote for laws that are acceptable to the
majority of people they represent
Constitution-seeks to protect the wellbeing of minorities that might be taken
advantage of by the wrong actions of the
majority
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• Based on
consequences
Ethics
• Based on
rules
• Obligated to
obey the law
Ethics
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Ethics
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Laws Can Easily Be Broken
Fidelity
bondinsurance
pays the
employer
money in the
case of theft
by an
employee
Scofflaws-persons
who do not respect
the law and are
not deterred by
the prospect of
being caught or
punished
Lack of personal
integrity (capacity) to do
what is right in
the face of
temptation or
pressure to do
otherwise
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Civil Disobedience
Open, peaceful, violation of a law to
protest its alleged or supposed injustice
Goal to make the legal system more just
View a written law as being in conflict
with ethical reasoning
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Civil Disobedience
 No effective political methods are available to
change the law
 The civil disobedience is nonviolent
 The civil disobedience does not advance a
person’s immediate self-interest
 The civil disobedience is public and one willingly
accepts the punishment for violating the law
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Assignments
Independent Practice Assignments
1. Ethics PowerPoint Presentation: Divide the class into teams consisting of
two students. Each team must prepare a PowerPoint presentation that
deals with three ethical situations: shoplifting—stashing candy in the
purse, cheating on income taxes to save nearly $2,000, and skipping the
automobile emissions inspection with the rationale that you are a
mechanic who takes better care of your automobile than a service station.
The PowerPoint presentation must indicate the ethical issues involved
with each situation, consequences, and who is affected by the unethical
actions.
2. Emotions vs. Ethics Table: Split the class into teams of two students.
Design a three-column table. The first column should list different
situations that involve emotions and ethics. Students should list 10
situations in the first column and then list the response based on
emotions and ethics
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