What is Ethics?
Ethics is a set of values or morals defined by an individual. In other words, ethics is
doing the right thing. An individual’s perception about what is ethical is defined by that person.
Society can have an effect on what one might define ethics as, but the majority of the time each
person decides what is ethical for themselves. Most people’s beliefs on what is ethical differ
from each other. For example, one person may think stealing is ethical, while another does not.
Ethics are a group of traits or values that one considers ethical.
One trait that many consider ethical is honesty. Honesty is as simple as telling the truth.
Most of the time being honest is ethical, but that can change based on the circumstances. There
are rare times when being honest isn’t ethical, but those situations change based on what
someone considers ethical. Honesty is an important value when it comes to ethics.
In addition, another trait that many believe to be ethical is respect. Respecting other
people is universally believed to be ethical. Are there times when showing respect isn’t ethical?
Respecting someone who doesn’t deserve respect might not be considered ethical by some
people, but in the end it’s an individual decision. Respecting other people is a value that is
considered ethical by most people.
Fairness is another trait when it comes to ethics. There are not many circumstances where
fairness wouldn’t be ethical. Being fair to other people usually results in them being fair in
return, and why wouldn’t one want to be treated fairly? However, Fairness is considered an
ethical value by most people. There are always exceptions, but in this case there are very few.
Treating other people fairly is usually ethical, and always has good results.
Responsibility is another ethical trait. Each individual is responsible for their own life and
problems. One is ethical when they handle their dilemas with responsibility. There are very few
situations when being responsible isn’t ethical. Each individual is responsible to contribute to
society in some way, but it is there decision whether it is ethical or not. A person can choose to
be responsible, but not consider it ethical. But in most circumstances, a responsible person is an
ethical person.
Some of the traits and values that could be considered ethical are honesty, fairness,
respect, and responsibility. These traits are recognized as ethical by everyone, but most people
would consider these values ethical. Of course there are many other values that could be ethical,
but these four are mostly universally recognized as ethical. Society doesn’t decide what is
ethical. Society can have an opinion, but an individual can choose to disregard what society
thinks, and consider themselves ethical. The morals and beliefs that make up an ethical person
can’t be defined completely, because everyone’s belief on ethics is different.