Why Identifying Ethical Standards is Hard And just because something is scientifically or technologically possible, it may not be ethical to do it. But ethics provides reasons for how humans ought to act. Science may provide an explanation for what humans are like.
But science alone does not tell us what we ought to do. Social and natural science can provide important data to help us make better ethical choices. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is not a satisfactory ethical standard. Some cultures are quite ethical, but others become corrupt -or blind to certain ethical concerns (as the United States was to slavery before the Civil War). Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms.Law may have a difficult time designing or enforcing standards in some important areas, and may be slow to address new problems. Law can be a function of power alone and designed to serve the interests of narrow groups. Law can become ethically corrupt, as some totalitarian regimes have made it. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical. Most religions do advocate high ethical standards but sometimes do not address all the types of problems we face. Many people are not religious, but ethics applies to everyone. And often our feelings will tell us it is uncomfortable to do the right thing if it is hard. Some people have highly developed habits that make them feel bad when they do something wrong, but many people feel good even though they are doing something wrong. Feelings provide important information for our ethical choices. It is helpful to identify what ethics is NOT: Simply stated, ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves-as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on. Ethics really has to do with all these levels - acting ethically as individuals, creating ethical organizations and governments, and making our society as a whole ethical in the way it treats everyone. We all have an image of our better selves - of how we are when we act ethically or are "at our best." We probably also have an image of what an ethical community, an ethical business, an ethical government, or an ethical society should be. This document is designed as an introduction to thinking ethically.
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