Upon nearing the completion of this
course in ethics, there are three key lessons that I will take away. The first key lesson is the self-reflection
of one’s ethical behavior. We believe
that our behaviors and/or actions are ethical but that is not always the
case. One must be able to reasonably
defend his or her ethical stance. For
example, I am opposed to increased gun-control legislation (further limiting 2nd
Amendment rights), but I understand that my ethical argument in opposition may
have flaws (or even be flat out wrong).
In
taking a stance on an ethical issue, I must understand the ethical theories and
how they correspond with my beliefs and values.
Furthermore, I must consider the facts, the situation, consequences, etc. I do not live in a vacuum and apart from
society, thus, my ethical decisions cannot be made in a vacuum. I interact with other people and must face their
ideas. Boyatzis & McKee (2005) wrote
that one must have the ‘Intellectual Courage’ to face and fairly address ideas,
beliefs, or viewpoints different from one’s own.
It
seems to me that in today’s American culture, some people’s ethics are driven more
by personal opinion/assumptions rather than facts or contextual relevant
factors. For example, consider the argument
against guns, and most notably, the opinion that most deaths by gun are of violent
crimes. To illustrate a contextual
relevant factor, according to a report published by the Pew Research Center,
the majority of gun deaths are by
suicide (Desilver, 2013) .
So while opponents of gun ownership focus on crime, they disregard a
relevant issue of mental/behavioral health problems.
The
second key takeaway for me is that ethics can
and must be taught. One assumes that we (society) clearly understand
the difference between right and wrong.
Yet, as discussed in the example above, “right” versus “wrong” may be a
matter of opinion. I would argue that
the example above (gun control versus a constitutionally guaranteed freedom) is
an argument of right versus right.
Building
on the first takeaway (e.g. self-reflection), studies have shown that teaching
ethics had an effect on people’s moral development, that is, their perception
of self’s morals have changes (in addition to that of society) (Andre & Velasquez, 2014) . Thus, learning and understanding ethical
theories and other relevant teachings will improve one’s ethical behavior. It most certainly has improved mine.
The
last key takeaway is that ethics is necessary in leadership. The general notion of leadership is providing
purpose, direction, and motivation. If
one does the aforementioned things, then he or she will be successful in achieving
his or her goals. LaFollette (2007) wrote
about the leadership goals and achievements of Mother Theresa and Adolf Hitler;
the former had morally good outcomes while the latter had immoral
outcomes. The difference is that Mother
Theresa was guided by ethics and Hitler was not. Hitler may have believed he was acting
ethically but his ignorance may have stemmed from a lack of self-reflection and
not understanding the morally relevant facts, situation, and consequences.
Ethical
leadership is necessary because it trickles down. If a leader is ethical, then it is likely
that his or her followers also behave ethically. This pertains to leaders in all aspects of
business, religion, cultural, community, sports, etc. The Center for Ethical Leadership wrote, “Ethical
leadership is knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in
all parts of your life in service of the common good.” Ethical leadership will
provide the common good that we need in this world.
I
perceive this course to have been very valuable to my moral and ethical growth as
exemplified by the takeaways I have discussed above. Moreover, I can and will become a better
person – I will be a better husband, father, son, brother, friend, and member of
society.
References
Andre,
C., & Velasquez, M. (2014). Retrieved from Snata Clara University:
https://legacy.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n1/taught.html
Boyatzis, R.,
& McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Publishing.
Center for Ethical
Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved from Center for Ethical Leadership:
http://www.ethicalleadership.org/
Desilver, D.
(2013, May 24). Retrieved from Pew Research Center:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/24/suicides-account-for-most-gun-deaths/
LaFollette, H.
(2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
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