“Ethics isn’t about blindly following rules or saying anything goes; it’s about balancing principles and adapting to the situation.” ~Afsana Ahmadi (George Mason University student)
Interested in learning more about the Myths of Ethics? You can just scroll down to the list of myths below, but that wouldn’t be as much fun as our other option. We recommend the following 3 steps…
- Step 1: Read the background story about the zombie-like MOE (see “Background” below Step 3).
- Step 2: Take our brief Quiz (only 5 True/False questions). The link is just below the “Background” story.
- Step 3: Come back to this page and scroll down to read about the Myths of Ethics below.
Background: We underestimated the MOE. They’re spreading rapidly. The world is at risk from a MOE infestation– a mythfestation. We must boost our defenses or they’ll infect our brains. Some people are intentionally and/or unintentionally helping the MOE to spread- many don’t realize the real risks. There’s hope… the MOE don’t like any kind of light (e.g., blue light, sunlight, the light of truth). There’s also a MOE inoculation that can help, but we need to act fast to reach herd immunity. Take this brief quiz to get inoculated and share this inoculations quiz with others… Resist the Mythfestation… good luck!
Do you believe the MOE? Test yourself. Click “Take Quiz” below:
Myths of Ethics
MYTH #1: Ethics means strict rules that limit my freedom.
Most of us don’t want to be told what to do or be given a list of dos and don’ts. We want the freedom to make our own choices. In the media, ethics is often mentioned when there’s an “ethics investigation” about a rule violation (e.g., compliance), but this can distort the full meaning of the word ethics. Thankfully, ethics is not a bunch of rules rigidly telling us what to do or not to do. As moral philosopher Peter Singer states, ethics is NOT “…a system of nasty puritanical prohibitions, mainly designed to stop people [from] having fun” (Practical Ethics, 2nd ed., p.1).
Ethics helps us to think critically about how to lead a good life. Ethics typically refers to well-founded principles of right and wrong that can help us to address one of the most fundamental questions in life: “How should we live and lead?” In the textbook Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership, ethics is defined as “… the systematic study of the principles of right and wrong behavior.” Understanding ethics can help us build trust, resolve conflicts, find a sense of purpose and live a life we can be proud of. Ultimately, ethics can free us up to better understand how to make the world a better place. Explore this website to further understand what ethics is all about.
MYTH #2: Ethics is just subjective/relative (e.g., Who’s to say what’s right/wrong? Right and wrong are just opinions).
Most of us value being open to different perspectives. Isn’t it judgmental to say that another person’s choice is right or wrong? Who are we to make that judgement? There are some things in life that are just personal opinions or cultural preferences. For example, who’s to say which flavor of ice cream objectively tastes the best? Who’s to say that moving away from family for a job or scholarship is better or worse than staying close to family? There may be no consistently right or wrong answers in these situations and reasonable people may disagree. There may be what Rushworth Kidder calls “Right vs Right” decisions.
However, there are other things in life that are clearly about right vs wrong, good vs bad. These may be called “Right vs Wrong” decisions. For example, if someone says, “Who’s to say that child abuse (or genocide) is wrong?”, we can certainly point to clear evidence of harm. Ethics helps us examine reasons and evidence. There is good clear evidence that child abuse and genocide are both bad/wrong. Furthermore, if there were never any ethical principles that apply across individuals and cultures, we wouldn’t be able to critique ourselves or those harming others. Without some accepted ethical principles, there’s no chance for improvement since nothing would count as more right or wrong than anything else. For example, if we just leave right and wrong up to personal opinion or cultural preference, we wouldn’t be able to say that it’s progress for women to be able to vote.
Read more about opinion/fact in ethics, see https://take5.gmu.edu/light/
As stated in the classic The Elements of Moral Philosophy text:
“… we can support our judgements with good reasons, and we can explain why those reasons matter. If we can do all this, and for an encore, show that no comparable case can be made on the other side, what more in the way of ‘proof’ could anyone want? In the face of all this, it is absurd to say that ethical judgments are nothing but ‘opinions’.” ~Rachels & Rachels, 7th edition, p. 43
MYTH #3: What’s ethical is consistently clear/obvious across people and cultures (e.g., There’s one right way that consistently applies).
There are times when what’s right or wrong is clear and obvious to reasonable people, regardless of different personal opinions or cultural perspectives. Taking culture into account can be essential, but that doesn’t mean that all cultural practices are equally ethical. For example, in some cultures young children are forced to work in unsafe factories. In some cultures, girls are denied an education and are forced into marriages. Slavery has been allowed in many cultures. There’s clear evidence that these practices are harmful, a violation of human rights, etc., and therefore highly unethical.
On the other hand, the answers to ethical questions are often not clear or obvious. Sometimes things can get very complicated, and we often need to take culture and context into account. For example, in some cultures, loyalty to family and community are very highly valued. In other cultures, individual freedom is very highly valued. Should you move away from your family and community to pursue your career? Should you be very direct in how you communicate with others or be more indirect in an effort to maintain harmony? Reasonable people and cultures disagree about what’s right and imposing our individual or cultural beliefs on others can be wrong in situations like these. It can be essential to withhold judgement in various situations where there are different opinions and cultural perspectives. We often need to be open to different perspectives and different ways of deciding what’s right or wrong.
MYTH #4: Good people do good things; bad people do bad things.
There’s certainly a fair amount of consistency in how some people act. Your aunt or uncle may have great character and be extremely trustworthy across time and situations. However, can you think of a person that you consider to be a generally good person who has done a bad thing? What do you think made the difference? Research in behavioral ethics has shown that internal biases (e.g., confirmation bias, self-serving bias), outside pressures (e.g., conformity bias, obedience to authority) and situational factors (e.g., time, stress, money) can overwhelm our character. Can you think of a person that you consider to be a generally bad person who has done a good thing? What do you think made the difference? The reality is, there aren’t two buckets of people: the all good bucket and the all bad bucket. Learning about ethics (including behavioral ethics) can help us to identify and understand how and why people act ethically and unethically.
MYTH #5: Ethics is on one side of the political divide.
Many people claim the ethical high ground, including those with very different political perspectives. It’s not uncommon for people to be labeled (or even attacked) as unethical by those with different political viewpoints. However, proper use of the word “ethics” shouldn’t be politically polarizing. The way the word “ethics” is interpreted or applied can contribute to polarization, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon over 2,000 years of moral philosophy, as well as many other disciplines that contribute to the field of ethics. Just because someone claims that you’re unethical does not mean that the weight of evidence is on their side. Just because you claim someone else is unethical does not mean the weight of evidence is on your side. As mentioned in another Myth of Ethics (“Myth #2: Ethics is just Subjective/Relative”), we need to look to reason and evidence. It’s important to have a way to guide human behavior that stands apart from political division. Ethics is largely about principles of what’s good and right and no political perspective has a monopoly on what’s good and right.
MYTH #6: Legal is Ethical (e.g., What’s legal is ethical, what’s illegal is unethical).
The best laws were created to improve society. Many would argue that without a good set of laws, society would fall into chaos and the powerful would take advantage of those who are less powerful. There are many laws that help us to live together with one another (e.g., laws guaranteeing the right to a fair trial, laws that prohibit human trafficking, laws that mandate access to free public education for all children). However, there are many things that are legal which can result in terrible harm. For example, in many places it’s legal to charge exorbitantly inflated prices for necessities (e.g., bottled water, life-saving medications) to those suffering through a natural disaster. In many places it’s legal to do nothing (and even make fun of someone) while they drown. Slavery was legal in the US and many other places. Furthermore, there are times when breaking the law may be the ethical thing to do- for example, trespassing or breaking into someone’s property to rescue a person in danger. What’s legal is often aligned with what’s ethical, but there are many exceptions, so we can’t assume that just because something is legal, it’s ethical, or just because something is illegal that it’s unethical.
Myth #7: Do no harm, it’s that simple.
It’s often highly admirable to focus on not causing harm. Most of us want to avoid causing pain or suffering. Some even say that they exclusively live by the principle “do no harm.” However, when we examine this principle in more detail, leading a good life seems to call for more than just not causing harm. Isn’t it reasonable for someone to attack or even kill a dangerous intruder (i.e., cause significant harm to the intruder) if it’s needed for self-defense and/or to defend loved ones? Doing what’s right may require positive action, beyond just doing no harm. Consider bystander behavior. For example, if we observe an acquaintance being bullied or harassed online, shouldn’t we actively try to help by intervening, finding someone else who can intervene, reporting the incident and/or checking in with the person being bullied or harassed? We may not be causing the harm, but we can do something proactive to help. We can lead even more ethical lives by striving to actively do what’s right, not just avoiding harm.
Note: To read more about these Myths of Ethics, see our References
Next Steps: What can you do to combat the MOE listed above? Learn more about ethics and the metaphor of light (remember the MOE don’t like any form of light, especially not the light of truth!). Take our brief (less than 5min) and free “How do you decide what’s right?” quiz to see what you focus on when trying to decide what’s right. You’ll get an animal and a color of light that represent your primary focus. Are you a Green Otter, Red Hawk, Blue Wolf, Yellow/Golden Bear or Grey/Silver Elephant? Take the brief (less than 5min) and FREE quiz.