Ethics relates to what is morally good or bad in our human actions. It is concerned with drawing the line between what is right or wrong. Right or wrong may have different definitions according to where you were born, what you learned in school or through your parents, or what religious precepts you were taught.
To me, it feels bad if I think of acting unethically. I define unethical as something that hurts myself and others. I have an image of myself of having standards of behavior. If I go against them, it feels very bad in terms of how I see myself. This is not because society would condemn me, or I would lose esteem in others’ opinion of me, but because I have to live with myself.
Therefore, ethics has to do with conscience. Sociopaths and psychopaths are known not to have a conscience. If they act unethically and hurt others, they may even laugh about it, if they think about it at all. But a person with a well-developed conscience will always prefer the ethical path.
To me, it feels bad if I think of acting unethically. I define unethical as something that hurts myself and others. I have an image of myself of having standards of behavior. If I go against them, it feels very bad in terms of how I see myself. This is not because society would condemn me, or I would lose esteem in others’ opinion of me, but because I have to live with myself.
Therefore, ethics has to do with conscience. Sociopaths and psychopaths are known not to have a conscience. If they act unethically and hurt others, they may even laugh about it, if they think about it at all. But a person with a well-developed conscience will always prefer the ethical path.
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