Answer to Question #175984 in Philosophy for Jean Claude

Question

Question 2

a) Your friend is faced with a situation in which there is a difficulty in choosing between what he/she is being asked to do and what is consistent with appropriate ethical behavior. With concrete examples, examine any four steps he/she needs to go through in order to make the right ethical decisions.

b) To what extent do you think that the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 may have a severe psycho-economical effect on employees who had lost their jobs as the result of the pandemic?

c) Although Professional Ethics is a sub-set of Ethics, they are different in nature. Examine any two points of difference between Professional Ethics and Ethics in general.

Answer 1

1. Step 1: Identify the problem- The act of realizing a particular situation is ethical is an important step. She should identify the issues involved and how they can impact the people negatively.
2. Step 2: She should focus on reviewing relevant ethical guidelines- She should be able to determine the consequences of the decisions whether it is morally acceptable in the society or not
3. Step 4: Consider the relevant societal laws and regulations- Before making the ethical decision she should be aware of the existing norms and laws as guideline to make a good ethical decision. The laws, family and authority will act as a consultation to what decision is ethically correct.
4. Step 6: Identify the possible decision, assess and implement it- She should develop the possible decisions, brainstorm the decisions and decide on the best decision that does not compromise any ethical standard in the society. The decision is not necessarily a perfect one but one that is morally good with minimal harm.

(b) The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the nation economies, businesses and job opportunities. States have employed the lockdowns and curfews that have compromised dining in restaurants, theaters, concert halls, some retail stores and other non-essential businesses impacting directly the people's living standards. Additionally, public health sector has urged the closure of almost all businesses to protect their employees and the public as a whole. The rules set by the governments have impacted the people mentally, physically, socially and economically jeopardizing their entire welfare. Perhaps the most visible closure has been the nearly universal shutdown of the professional sports industry. These unprecedented challenges are having economic ripple effects across the country as thousands of population unexpectedly find themselves out of work with the potential for significant increases in unemployment.

(c) Ethics is determined by society as a whole, through a complex interaction between tradition and exquisite argumentation by opinion leaders. Professional are set of rules decided upon very intentionally by a subset of members of the profession and written down into a professional code.

Professional ethics are the ethics that an individual must follow and adhere in respect to the workplace interactions and business place whereas ethics generally refers to the moral guidelines that govern an individual behavior, also it is a branch of knowledge concerned with moral actions