Ethics

Ethics are rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad recognized by a particular group, culture, etc. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty. And, ethical standards include standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy. Such standards are adequate standards of ethics because they are supported by consistent and well-founded reasons.

As children, we were taught by our parents that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal. As we grow up and enter into the real world with some knowledge of right and wrong, we see, first hand, the importance of ethics as well as its complexity. The role of ethics in our society is very necessary because it has a large influence on today, as well as the future. We need to learn about good ethics because they guide our decisions, make us who we are, and determine our future.

We know that ethics are more than abstaining from lying, cheating, and stealing, but that it is the knowledge of right from wrong which influences one's conduct and decisions. The way people choose (wrong or right) effects all those around them whether they like it or not.