There are two key steps in getting to the heart of your moral and ethical worldview that you must get past in order to fully consider this topic. First, you land on one side or the other regarding the age-old philosophical argument that asks, “Is there really any right or wrong?” Although you are certainly free to believe however you want in private, your public work choices and attitude must take a clear stand on the issue. When you show up for work in the morning, your employer and our society expect that you have answered this question in the affirmative.
Applying Moral and Ethical Principles
Second, you have to know how to apply it. Do you obey every rule to the point of legalism, or do you allow the situation and your personal discretion to define what’s right or wrong? It’s really about balance. You must strive for a good balance between living your life by solid, resolute moral principles and using a healthy measure of good judgment and practicality in facing your dilemmas. Having a good handle on these two topics will make you morally balanced, mentally and spiritually balanced, and more successful in your job.
The Role of Conscience
In the introduction of this course, it was stated that we all have ethics because we all have a conscience. We use it to make ethical decisions. Your conscience tells you right from wrong. It does this because you have a self-awareness of your behavior and then you measure it by your deeply held moral beliefs. In short, you know that you and your conscience compare your ethical options against your moral beliefs. So the question is, what do we do with it?
Listening to Your Conscience
Your conscience is there, but the fact remains that you can lose your ability to hear it over time. Listening to your conscience and not just relying on your emotions is something that you have to learn. It is especially critical that you hear the warnings of your conscience when you’re making a bad choice. It may not be the loudest thing you hear, but a still small voice that you can barely make out, but you know is the truth. Of course, when you hear your conscience speaking, you must take the next step and act appropriately.
The Importance of Morality
Keep in mind that the words “moral” and “morality” sometimes make people uncomfortable. If you feel uncomfortable, try to understand why it is absolutely necessary to use those terms in a practical discussion of ethics. Ethics without a sense of morality is meaningless and empty. Think about how a sense of morality holds our laws, families, and culture together. It’s not a dirty word, but something that every person has and needs to guide their ethical lives.
Moral Absolutes vs. Moral Relativism
Let’s talk about moral absolutes versus moral relativism. Relativism is a philosophical position that maintains that there are truths and values but denies that they are absolute. It believes that ethics is based on the situation, that there are no moral rights and wrongs, that right and wrong is based on social norms, and that morals change over time.
Questions to Consider
- Imagine you lived and worked in a world that was devoid of moral absolutes. What kind of society would it be?
- Would you want to live and work in a place that only had a morally relative position on everything?
The Reality of Moral Absolutes
Moral absolutes are a reality that must be dealt with in the workplace. You must live in the here and now and not in the philosophical realm. The bottom line is that ethical relativism undermines the whole thing and should be rejected. Understand that moral absolutes are everywhere. Our society shares a surprising amount of common moral beliefs. You can see the evidence all around you. No matter what our backgrounds, beliefs, or experiences, our basic moral standards of right and wrong are much the same. There are moral absolutes and not social norms. Stealing is wrong, lying is wrong, doing harm to others is wrong. These universal social moral absolutes have stood the test of time.
Embracing Moral Absolutes
The challenge for you is to grab onto moral absolutes in a busy, hectic, morally mushy business world. Take a good look at yourself and get ethically balanced. Take things like honesty, truth, and integrity seriously and integrate them into everything you do both on and off the job. Get rid of the emotion and self-interest that leads to rationalization. Stop thinking about yourself and start looking outward. Stop making excuses and accept responsibility. Moral absolutes are not your enemy; relativism is, and it usually hurts you rather than helps you.
Becoming Ethically Balanced
So if you want to become ethically balanced, consider these four keys: values, perspective, responsibility, and character.
Values: The fundamental principles that you live by that make you ethical. You must have deeply held core values that show themselves in your everyday decisions.
Perspective: Requires the ability to be flexible and interpret and analyze things within a morally principled framework. You are able to see the big picture and work within it.
Responsibility: Ethically balanced people accept responsibility for their ethical shortcomings and make a genuine effort to change for the better. Responsibility is an effort to do what it takes to change and move forward.
Character: Don’t forget that your character is the real you behind the facades and outward appearances. Your character should not change with the circumstance but be a constant moral anchor.
Conclusion
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FAQs
- What are the key steps to understanding your moral and ethical worldview?
- The first step is to take a clear stand on whether there is a right or wrong, and the second step is knowing how to apply it by balancing solid moral principles with good judgment.
- Why is it important to listen to your conscience?
- Listening to your conscience helps you make ethical decisions and act appropriately, especially when faced with moral dilemmas.
- What is the difference between moral absolutes and moral relativism?
- Moral absolutes are unchanging truths and values, while moral relativism believes that ethics are based on situations and social norms that change over time.
- How can one become ethically balanced?
- By embracing values, perspective, responsibility, and character, and integrating honesty, truth, and integrity into all aspects of life.
- What role does character play in ethical decision-making?
- Character is the real you behind facades and should remain a constant moral anchor regardless of circumstances.