Ethics And The Role Of Government
Introduction
Social philosophy involves the philosophical study of questions that govern social behavior. It analyzes social issues in the society and social behavior. Social philosophy deals with a wide range of topics like metaphysics and morality. Advocates of social philosophy believe moral questions and moral theory are abstract. This paper applies to the role of government.
Role of government
Morality helps people in the society differentiate what is bad and what is right. Morality involves good versus bad. Most societies have established a set of moral codes to guide them. Members of the society are required to follow the rules set. The society disowns people who go against the moral codes set by the society. For example, a society will disown a thief as the actions committed by the criminal are against the rules set by the society. Different societies have different types of moral codes. In addition, the societies have different definition of morality. What is seen bad in one society may not be bad in another society. For example, African Americans may define crime differently from other societies. The definition is usually based on the moral codes used by the society (Singer, 1993).
Moral theories are used to explain what is bad or what is good. They are used to support morality in the society (Pojman &Fieser, 2008). Most people have developed different types of moral theories. For example, Kant developed the moral theory. Another example of moral theory is utilitarian theory. The theories have different definition of morality. Kant’s moral theory defines morality differently from utilitarian theory. This is because the authors have developed different concepts that they use to support their arguments. For example, Kant’s moral theory considers actions to be morally right if a person does the action out of will. Though, the action has harm to the person, it is considered to be morally right. In utilitarian theory an action is considered to be morally right if it is aimed at bringing happiness to every one. Thus, the theories differ in the definition of morality (Pojman &Fieser, 2008).
Moral questions and moral theories are considered to be abstract. Most moral questions are abstract as they have no clear origin. The questions are created by the society or peoples mind. For example, people in the society considered abortion as a crime. The definition will differ from one society to another. This is because people have different definitions of what is wrong and what is right. Some societies will consider the act to be morally wrong while others will consider the act to be morally correct. The society will use the moral codes developed to judge whether abortion is wrong (Ruggiero, 1992)
A government plays different roles in the country. Most governments play similar roles. First the government is required to protect citizens in the country from being exploited by unethical firms. Most countries have a large number of firms that offer different services to different people. The firms may not know what is right or wrong in the society (Ruggiero, 1992).
Moreover, the government is required to develop policies that govern activities in the country. Most governments develop policies that govern business and other activities in the country. The policies help business carry out their activities and prevent exploitation of consumers in the country. The government has the right to punish business owners if they do not comply with the rules set (Ruggiero, 1992).
The government is supposed to maintain security in the country. The government provides security to the citizens in the country by enacting policies to govern them. Most governments have enacted different laws and established law enforcement agencies to provide security in the country (Moore, 2008).
Some people argue that the role of government is to provide order in the society. This in turn leads to creation of an orderly society. In addition, the government provides moral and ethical values that control the functioning of the society. The morals are embodied in the policies and laws set by the government. Also, the laws and morals are incorporated into the cultural values. People have to obey the laws and policies set so as to maintain order in the society.
Most governments have established government ethics that guide the government in carrying out decisions. The government ethics are similar to ethics in the society (Moore, 2008).
Ethics deal with making decisions that are correct or right. Most decisions have an ethical component, but they do not dictate what our decision should be. Ethics helps people in the society make wise decisions. This is according to Ruggiero’s work on ethics. The author has developed the book to help people make decisions that are ethical. Ethics is important in any society. For example, ethics helps people understand the ethical issues in the society. It helps people understand the moral issues in the society. Second, ethics informs people of what violates the principles of good ethics. Government ethics helps the government and people differentiate what is right and wrong (Moore, 2008).
Ethics guides people when making decisions. Most people think government has no ethics. This is because people do not understand what ethics is. Ruggiero defies ethics as the study of bad or wrong. Some people think there is no need to have ethics if we have laws. Ethics and laws are different and they complement each other. It is not possible to have law without ethics. This is because laws are considered to be a set of rules that define ethical issues and the penalty that will be used to punish people who violate the laws. Ruggiero argues that law makers use ethics to create laws. Thus, the government needs to have ethics to guide to help make clear decisions.
There are various issues that result from the role of government. Example of the issue include death penalty, abortion etc. Most people have different views on what is right or wrong. The issues have become a major concern in the society. The issues have negative effects to the society. Most governments have adopted capital punishment to punish criminals who commit felony crime. People have different views on capital punishment. Some think capital punishment is not ethical and others think capital punishment is ethical (Moore, 2008).
Most people think capital punishment is not ethical because it interferes with individual rights and other rights listed in the constitution. They argue that capital punishment deprives the criminal various rights like freedom rights. They view the government decision to punish people using capital punishment unethical. Others think capital punishment is right as it helps prevent crime in the society. They argue that the government is supposed to protect citizens from unlawful activities. Thus, the government has the right to use capital [punishment to punish criminals. They see the government act morally right (Singer, 1993).
People base their concepts about morality of capital punishment on moral theory and moral questions. Since moral questions and moral theory are abstract, the arguments presented to support the issue are abstract. The arguments are based on societal norms and mentality. Societies define actions to be good or bad based on the moral codes that govern the society. Different societies have different definitions pf what is morally right or wrong. For example, capital punishment in most societies is considered to be bad. This is because the people argue that it interferes with the rights of the person. Also, some religions argue that is not good to kill. This raises moral questions like why the government should use capital punishment to punish criminals. On the other hand some people see capital punishment the best punishment for people who have committed murder and rape. They argue that the criminal has to pay for the crime by suffering equally like the victim of the crime. In this case, capital punishment is considered a positive practice. The moral questions governing capital punishment are abstract as they cannot be proved (Singer, 1993).
Some people base their arguments on utilitarian theory and moral theory. Advocates of utilitarian theory considered capital punishment unethical. This is because it affects the family and the victim. It has more harm than benefit. Advocates of moral theory support capital punishment as it is government’s right to prevent crime. Therefore, ethics helps one understand and try to solve ethical issues like capital punishment. For exampled, the government has to way the morality of the action and define other measures.
There is need to overcome ethical issues in the government. For example, the government has to identify other forms of punishment that are ethical (Driver, 2006).
Government ethics are important as they help the government make decisions that are good and benefit the citizens. The government relies on ethics to make laws and policy that govern citizens in the country. The laws define what the government considers ethical and the repercussions of not adhering to the laws. The laws help maintain law nd order. Most governments have poor decision making process. This is because the government does not know what is right or wrong. For example, the government might not see capital punishment as immoral. This is because the government wants to fulfill its roles. Poor decision making has negative effects on the citizens and the government. Fir example, the government might make wrong decisions when enforcing security laws or measures. The government might enforce laws like proliferation that have impact on the citizens. Most governments have made wrong decisions because they do not know what is wrong or right. Ruggiero’s argues that ethics is important in decision making as it helps make correct decisions (Driver, 2006).
Conclusion
Social philosophy helps one understand human behavior. It’s clear that moral questions and moral theory are abstract. This is because human beings base their arguments on the societal norms, but the questions are not concrete. Societies have different definitions of what is right and what is wrong. The moral questions are constructed basing the argument on what is right or wrong in the society. Governments are required to provide an orderly society. This is by enacting laws and policies to govern business and other activities. The laws help maintain law and order. Ethics helps people different what is good or bad. It helps people solve ethical issues that result from poor governance. For example, people have developed moral questions from use of capital punishment. Some consider the act morally correct while other does not. Ethics helps make clear decisions that do not have moral consequences.
Reference
Driver, J. (2006).Ethics: the fundamentals.Wiley-Blackwell
Moore, G.E. (2008).Ethics. READ BOOKS
Ruggiero, V.C. (1992).Thinking critically about ethical issues. Mayfield
Pojman, L.P., &Fieser, J. (2008).Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong. Cengage Learning,
Singer, P. (1993).Practical ethics. CambridgeUniversity Press
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