Ethics †Morality Essay

Introduction Based on society’s ethics, laws are created and enforced by governments to mediate in our relationships with each other. Laws are made by governments in order to protect its citizens. The judiciary, legislature, and public officials are the three main bodies in a government that are assigned to the task of the creation of laws. Laws have to be approved and written by these three branches of government before they are implemented and enforced by the police and the military, with the help of the legal system consisting of lawyers and other government servants. While laws carry with them a punishment for violations, ethics does not. In ethics everything depends on the person’s conscience and self worth. Driving carefully and within the speed limit because you don’t want to hurt someone is ethical, but if you drive slowly because you see a police car behind you, this suggests your fear of breaking the law and being punished for it. Ethics comes from within a person’s moral sense and desire to preserve his self respect. It is not as strict as laws. Laws are codifications of certain ethical values meant to help regulate society, and punishments for breaking them can be harsh and sometimes even break ethical standards. Legal and Ethics Behaviors Legal behavior refers to the variations in the degree of governmental social control of one’s behavior for instance not obeying the traffic laws. Ethical behavior on the other hand is being in accordance with the accepted principles of right and wrong which govern the conduct of a profession. For example dealing badly with your female employees is unethical but not illegal. In an ideal society however legal and ethical standards/laws should be the same. Ethical behavior means characterized by honesty, fairness and equity in interpersonal, and professional academic relationships and in research and scholarly activities. Ethical behavior respects the dignity, diversity and rights of individuals and groups of people. DEFINITION OF ETHICS * In general, ethics is a moral philosophy where a person makes a specific moral choice and sticks to it. DEFINITION OF LAW * Law is a legal system comprising of rules and principles that govern the affairs of a community and controlled by a political authority. Law differs from one country to another. Differentiate in between legal and ethical behaviors. Law| Ethics| * Punishment| * No punishment| * Cannot be enforced independently| * Can be enforced independently| * Legal standards are negative. | * Ethical standards are more positive. | * Control by government| * Guideline from parent or teacher| * Law only doing what is legal. | * Ethics is doing the right thing. | * Must be follow| * Free to follow| * Universals| * Depends On Country| A certain behavior could be legal but not ethical. Example like at below: * Lying. * Abortion. * Artificial contraception. * Sleeping in class when teacher teaching. * Littering in public places. * Loud music when midnight. * Spitting in public places. * Read her/him diary without he/she approve. * Anywhere into other people’s rooms. * Using horn at the area hospital Engineer’s Role in Ethics. Engineer’s role in ethics is hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. So engineers need learn engineering ethics. Engineering Ethics is the study of moral issues and decisions confronting individuals and organization engaged in engineering. Why Is Engineering Ethics Important? * sensitizes us to moral issues faced in the workplace * engineering Choices can affect public safety * employer or outside forces such as time and cost impact decisions * laws do not cover all areas involving ethical choices * helps one learn to avoid issues before they arise * recognizes there are gray areas governing our behavior. Engineering ethics is the field of applied ethics and system of moral principles that apply to the practice of engineering. The field examines and sets the obligations by engineers to society, to their clients, and to the profession. As a scholarly discipline, it is closely related to subjects such as the philosophy of science, the philosophy of engineering, and the ethics of technology. Engineering ethics also is professional ethics, as opposed to personal morality. It sets the standards for professional practice, and is only learned in a professional school or in professional practice. It is an essential part of professional education because it helps students deal with issues they will face in professional practice. The best way to teach engineering ethics is by using cases—not just the disaster cases that make the news, but the kinds of cases that an engineer is more likely to encounter. Many cases are available, and there are methods for analyzing them. Engineering ethics can be taught in a free-standing course, but there are strong arguments for introducing ethics in technical courses as well. Engineering is something that engineers do, and what they do has profound effects on others. Engineering ethics is an essential aspect of engineering itself and education in professional responsibilities should be part of professional education in engineering, just as it is in law and medicine. Engineering organization’s role in promoting ethical behavior Leader’s ability to motivate subordinates plays a key role in maintaining an ethical organization. Motivation is a force within the individual that focuses his or her behavior toward achieving a goal. To create motivation, an organization offers incentives to encourage employees to work toward organizational objectives. Understanding motivation is important to the effective management of people, and it also helps explain their ethical behavior. For example, a person who aspires to higher positions in an organization may sabotage a coworker’s project so as to make that person look bad. This unethical behavior is directly related to the first employee’s ambition (motivation) to rise in the organization. Recruitment and selection procedures are can use to influence the character of their employees in organization. Conclusion 1. Legal is the law of the Land, Ethic is the law of a Good/ Kind Heart 2. Ethics are rules of conduct. Laws are rules developed by governments in order to provide balance in society and protection to its citizens. 3. Ethics are moral codes which every person must conform to. Laws are codifications of ethics meant to regulate society. 4. Ethics does not carry any punishment to anyone who violates it. The law will punish anyone who happens to violate it. 5. Ethics comes from within a person’s moral values. Laws are made with ethics as a guiding principle. References 1. http://www. linkedin. com 2. http://quizlet. com 3. http://www. ehow. com 4. http://www. differencebetween. net 5. http://engineering. missouri. edu.