JOURNAL
Chapter 1: Ethics and Ethical Reasoning
Ethics refers to the conception of right or wrong with a fundamental human relationship. The ethical standards act as a channel of the moral deeds. Business moral code refers to the purpose of the moral principles and ideas into business conduct. The moral behaviors are as a result of various reasons such as the history, the societal traditions, personal opinions and various circumstances that an individual may encounter in life (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). Ethics and ethical reasoning give an individual serious consideration of their personal and policy dilemma. It also helps in compelling of personal, prejudicial and arbitrary reasons. Ethics are also an important aspect of business as they play a critical path in business prosperity.
Ethical reasoning relates to the rights and the wrongs of human behavior as it relates to moral principles of the accepted standards of conducts. Individual standards are defined by their personal values. Ethical differences are as a result of different interpretations of subjects or events that may be either social or political. Ethical reasoning holds two major roles in life (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). One it enhances the well-being of the others as it is worthy of criticism when an act of harm is posed on others. Secondly, it emphasizes the acts that harm other people. Individual rights and ethical reasoning in a civilized society coincide with the rights of the society collectively. If a person is denied their personal rights for the good of the society they may feel rejected that may result into decision conflicts due to own ethical reasoning. An individual is able to develop core values and ethical reasoning in accordance with their integrity, honesty and the ability of self-justification and self-deception (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014).
Chapter 2: Religion and Global Ethics
Religion and global ethics are committed to enhancing a global ethical responsibility through a deeper understanding. It deals with specific issues of human responsibilities and rights, race and gender, war and reconciliation, and global and economic injustice. However, religion can be considered to be destructive as well as positive depending on the impact it has. Mostly religion is credited to have a significant due to its great positive impact (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). Ethically religion has dealt with disagreement, hatred, and violence in a more noble way. This has encouraged harmony between persons as they have been able to respect each other. Religion has been able to promote peace, offer relief to those in need as well as advocate for their human rights. Religion has brought understanding and shaped the actions of various individuals (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014).
As a result of globalization there rises the need to understand various religion convictions in order to enhance more positive than negative. The contribution of religion and the global ethics is important due to the scope of moral responsibility that includes both present and the future thus making it not to be limited to the specific relations or community religion (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). Religion and global ethics play a significant role in the interchange of ideas across different disciplinary and traditions. It also enhances cultural performances and various art installations as they are incorporated into other different groups facilitating great ideas as well as mutual understanding. The forum created by both religion and global ethics enhances the dissemination of information across all members (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014).
Chapter 5: Utilitarianism and John Stuart Mill
Utilitarianism is a powerful and a persuasive approach to normative ethics. According to John Stuart Mill, the utilitarianism ethical theory regards the principle of whether an action is right in their proportion and whether they tend to uphold largely individual happiness. Mill observes that most people have misunderstood utilitarianism as they interpret it with utility as a contrast to pleasure. The name utility itself suggests great happiness which holds the principle of action is right when it promotes happiness and wrong when it diminishes happiness (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). According to Mill the absence of pain in pleasure results to desirable things at the end. Mill states that the intellectual pleasures are better where he considered that it is better not to be a satisfied Socrates rather than a contented fool.
Mill criticism is the claim that is based on demeaning to reduce the sense of life to pleasure. Mill argues that human pleasure is considered to be more superior to that of animals because they are aware of high faculties which make them acknowledge that they will not be happy if they do not cultivate on them (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). It is true to say that when making moral judgment utilitarianism takes into consideration not only on the quantity but also the quality of happiness resulting from it. There has been a misconception of utilitarianism of how it confuses contentment and happiness. This is because there is a deeper sense of the world inadequacies. This implies that people who are right to judge the quality of pleasure are the individuals who have experienced both the high and the low (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014).
Chapter 7: Natural Law and Human Rights
Natural law theory refers to the moral laws that are found in nature and discernable as a result of the use of reason. The nature of law refers to natural sciences which are descriptive law in which it describes how nature behaves such as gas (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). Moral laws are considered to be prescriptive laws as they ought to tell individuals on how to behave. Civil law is an expression of moral law as it tells how people should behave observing both the high and the low laws without disobeying. According to Martin Luther King Junior, Henry David and Mohandas Gandhi people have made an appeal to the moral law due to the changes in the civil law. Human rights are basic principles of moral legislation due to the objectives and accessibility to the reason that are based on human nature (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014).
The relationship between natural law and human rights is a belief of a doctrine of natural rights into moral realism that brings the view of the central core of the natural theories (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). Human rights are understood in a theoretical manner and it is able to raise some of the historical issues. The natural law traditions influence the emergence of the doctrine of the human rights due to important development that has been experienced over time such as welfare rights, right to food, shelter, clothing and generally basic security. As a declaration of independence, there has been a significant influence on human right writing by the various international organizations (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2014). The Unite Nations is a universal organization that has led to the revolution of human rights principles as a result of war containing natural rights traditions. The attempt by such organization is to specify the rights of all people by the virtue of being human regardless of race, origin or religion.
Reference
MacKinnon, B. & Fiala, A. (2014). Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Cengage Learning
