CHAPTER 8 Introduction OW academics talk about ethics, they are typically referring to decisions about right and wrong. As noted, the study of ethic:! behavior goes back thousands of years to ancient Greece, Ethics is 8 branch of iy that investigates questions such as “What is good and what is bad?” Jr ijust to reward one group with more benefits than another?” “Wha! Aeiu8 tovilt an individual or organization take if a client mistreats him/her/it?" In price, ethics is decision-making tools that try to, guide questions of human froralty, by defining concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong, virtue and vice justice and crime, etc. Often, religion and ethics are treated as the same thing, with various religions snaking claims about their belief systems being the best way for people to live actively proselytizing and trying to convert unbelievers, trying to legislate public behaviors based around isolated religious passages, ete. Of course, not all religions are the same, some are more liberal than others and some more conservative, but in general, all religious traditions believe that their faith represents a path to enlightenment and salvation. oe:Objectives: Atthe end of the chapter, the students will be able to: ke } entity the dtferent challenges to ethical behavior in eae: 5 lstity the need for a meaningful research on universal Ree Discuss the characteristics ofthe pluralist and fundamentalist to lays worlg LESSON 1 Ethics and Religion Introduction Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts o; ght and wrong behavior. A central aspect Of ethics is "the good life", the li. Worth living or life that is simply Satstying, which is held by many philosopher. tobe more important than traditional ror, conduct (Singer, 1993), Ethics a fee S0siety. The importance of Ethics is becoming recognized inal aspects of one sy life. A strong background in Ethie and Religion is i Hees orlay, a8 well as a crucial discipline for all people ; Thou Shalt Not’s” found in traditions that tell People how to behave by, “moralizing,” ethics includes. no such moralizing, If something is bad, ethieg fells us We should not do it, 800d, obviously there is no harm in, that weneed ethics, is that whatis, Personal circumstances, culture, finances, 238# é f beliefs, and other variables, Often the path that looks most desirable will megative consequences, while the path that looks the most perilous for an ravi jdual ot organization wil often result in doing the best for others. Doing imgrs ght” 1 lot harder han doing what i expedient or convenient ‘There is a spectrum of views about how religion and ethics are related— from the view that religion is the absolute bedrock of ethics to one that holds that Iijs i based on Numanistic assumptions justified mainly, and sometimes only, Js to reason. These two extremes tend to be argued in a way that offers Fae oom for compromise or pragmatic solutions to eal issues we face every day ‘The relationship between religion and ethics is about thé relationship revelation and reason. Religion is based in some measure on the idea that God (or some deity) reveals insights about life and its true meaning. These insights are collected in texts (the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, etc) and presented ts “revelation.” Ethics, from a strictly humanistic perspective, is based on the tenets of reason: Anything that is not rationally verifiable cannot be considered afiable. From this perspective, ethical principles need not derive their authority from religious doctrine. Instead, these principles are upheld for their value in ing independent and responsible individuals— people who are capable of tnaking decisions that maximize their own well-being while respecting the well being of others. Even though religious and secular ethics don’t derive their authority from the same source, we still must find a way to establish common ground between them; otherwise we're condemning ourselves to live amidst social discord and division. Itis believed we can accommodate the requirements of reason and religion by developing certain qualities that we would bring to our everyday ethical discussions, Aristotle said that cultivating qualities he called them “virtues” like prudence, reason, accommodation, compromise, moderation, wisdom, honesty, ‘and truthfulness, among others, would enable us all to enter the discussions and ‘conflicts between religion and ethics— where differences exist— with a measure of moderation and agreement. When ethics and religion collide, nobody wins; when religion and ethics find room for robust discussion and agreement, we maximize the prospects for constructive choices in our society. ‘A central aspect of ethics is "the good life’ the life worth living or life that is simply satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than traditional moral codes. The ancient Greeks called it eudaimonia or happiness. ‘The ancient Greeks believed happiness was brought about by living one’s life in accordance with virtue postive traits of character. Virtue in the highest sense, in ‘an adult who has been brought up well, will not just involve good personal habits such as courage and temperance, but also friendship and justice and intellectual Virtue. The essence of virtue is in the wholeness of the person brought about byThe infuentia philosopher, Immanuel Kant defended the ides of Cod a basic requirement of ethics. We ought tobe virtuous and 42 ourduty esi believed virtue should be rewarded by happiness, and it would be into) any lerable it were not so, Since its clear that virtue often does go unrewarded in th © reseny life, Kant argued that the soul must be immortal. Virtue must receive i as ‘Srompens in future life and there must be a God guaranteeing tha ® rewarded, The existence of God and the immortality of the soul were called the postulates of practical reason ~ the assumptions without claimed, ethies and a moral life would not be possible. What Kany Which, so he {freligion has. role in moral decision-making, then what should be For many individuals, their religion is a centrally defining characterics, they are, such that they would be nearly incapable of making ethical independently of their religious beliefs. that role? ic OF who decisions utter Some of our most basic moral sentiments are directly connected saad sous Ideology. For example, most people agree that things lke murder and adultery are always wrong, regardless of circumstances, Mec major world sions echo these sentiments, and it can be argued that the ancien codes of s we do seem to regard religion asa good source of yx. moral guidance, making it un "wise to argue that there ought to be no connects, between religion and ethics ‘The Inseparableness of Ethies and Religion [There isan old philosophical view that if there's no God, there is no morality As children, many of ‘ e ia lf2m about ethics in the context of eine on u ligious instruction. And as adults the ethical or moral judgments cg many of us are often shaped by our religious background, whether conten K ‘ously or not. Sometimes religion is even Biven as the justification for our ethical iden apie In the parlance of, ©ontemporary phil i mporary philosophy, acer tec nar att MR Hetannot we uosey eee Killing in the way that Sic a one Tony hn otpa ng lies must come (rom AERA a ay eet a ite : Ae etiec, if killing is wrong, it can only be because ranscendlent source. In wrong (Mackie, 1977),___walso the view attributed to Dostoevsky’s character Ivan Karamazov “Teer uhich, if God does not exist, everything is permitted. One finds e385 this same Karamazovian postion in the words of the Senator and mel andidate in 2000 for US Vice President Joseph Lieberman who denied ety ca be maintained without religion oe oth eentury German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who i less well fesan interesting twisttothematter.nagreoment with he Karamazovian sean fe eche also thought that morality which, ashe understood itis mode ffayon oted isthe conrst between ood and evi intimately bound sein transcendental realm (Weberman, 2013), 3 ‘and Ethics in Decision-Making ‘When making ethical decisions, no one stands outside a social and cultural ‘Each of us judges human reality according to a set of adopted and adapted ‘eiteria based on such factors as nationality, education, social class, onal occupation, and, of course, religious affiliation. ‘Being with God is to inhabit a universe of meaning, as well as a religious ‘extended in time and space. To be in a faith tradition is to participate ively ina whole world of thought and action, of motive and image, of attraction cae. is a multicultural society bound together by a professed faith (the ceed), common religious practices and an allegiance to Jesus Christ, whom we sdnowledge as Lord. This fundamental identity determines, to a great extent, an approach to ethics. The Art of Choosing Well. Ethics has to do with our choices and actions, ‘which form our character even as they express it. Ethics depends on that human habit of reflection that takes into account our interests and values— as well as ‘huse of others— in the process of deciding and doing. Since it calls on perceptive ‘hought, analytical and intuitive reasoning, and prudential judgment, ethics is péthaps more art than science— the art of choosing well and wisely for the good fselfand others, Fortunately, we do not need to re-create the ethical wheel in every new We systematize our ethical insights and share them with ‘others, for we “Neinherently conservative creatures. __ A careful weighing of the practical outcomes of peoples choices leads "0 of moral norms, These are established and enforced by members 4 social order because of their perceived truth and applicability for the good, The handing on of such moral law can be compared 10 2 familys 2ahistory: Much is different in each Succeeding generation; yet, too, there is mu, ShansenutY= not only hair and eye color ora family name but, more subtly, cen chatacter traits and moral habits that combine to shape the pattern of 2c. liv open uman family, what remains fatual onthe ethical plane is the asin happiness, community, love, and a general integrity of thought, word, and deg {Nhat changes today more radically than ever before is the socal content wt which we strive for happiness {in a world marked by rapid innovation, ethical judgments allow us to si evidence, name our values, and choose our means of achieving the best possi rraaeey aablished law does notatfordanefficient answertoevery moral ier, sr Aeesst © make new applications of existing moral certitides about such ics, ae tne dignity of hurhan lif, the value of honesty and fairess, and the protec of the weak. Faith-based ethics considers the moral challenges of our times against beckground of those fundamental norms and values that undergitd our fives Tatura! law tadition from scholastic theology provides a means of placing th values in dialogue with new problems and new challenges (Spohn, 1995), Everyday millions and millions of people interact with each other, socially Physically, and mentally. To some extent, the choices and decisions we moke 24 2 day-to-day basis are all in some aspect subconscious, especially the tiny things, Humans have fre will but the question is how much religion actualy alfecis decision and choice making skills? Religion and choices both play big roles in our everyday life, without some ‘ype of idea about spirituality, whether it be the lack-thereof o¢ the idea wf « seins of god and religion, humans would be lost. I's the same thing with chores without making important choices in life, and even to some-extent mall choices, you won't get anywhere. To make a decision on a choice you feed some type of foundation, but what could that be? Mostly in more black ond whi slats oe oe ix ational thinking, but what about in more stressful situations? People use theit inner values and morals. Religion and the search for ahi topics. Everyone is different, but influence on our decisions? igher power are all very sensitive and personal is it fair to say that religion actually has an 242ene ncia caas jon: ———__ Da wane al ACTIVITY 1 at are the basic differences between how religion makes decisions and makes them? etic [288 acrivity2 ‘Are religion and ethics incompatible? Which one should take precedence over the other? Defend your answer. 243,