Ethics not unlike truth are often situational. The truth as well as ethics need little to no explanation. If ethics and truth were parts of your home’s structure, they would be loadbearing walls. I will focus on the art of making ethical decisions, and how to avoid creating multiple faces of ethics.
Socrates speaks about the ‘golden middle’. That’s where we want to land! The golden middle is the equivalent of a perfectly pierced bullseye. The bullseye touches all 20 numbers on a dart board. All inclusive, it’s the ‘golden middle’. The art of the best ethical decision considerers what is best for all affected.
To achieve the most ethical decisions, we must silence the noise and search for the greater good for ALL. The noise includes our preset thoughts, values and beliefs as well as being influenced by others, personal greed or desires – especially the desires derived from group thought. Even the law, yes, if its legal it may be completely unethical. A glaring example is legalized slavery of another human. There were many people who thought slavery was a no-brainer and fought to keep it lawful. Legalizing issues can provide an ethical shelter for some.
Ethics not unlike truth demands for us to be courageous. The best ethical decisions may be unpopular, but aiming for the greater good will lead to healthier outcomes for our communities.
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