ETHICS AND MORALS
Should ethics and morals be considered when making laws in a country? Just because something isn't ethical or moral, should it be deemed illegal? As long as no crime is committed and no one gets hurt, shouldn't everyone have a right to do whatever they want regardless of how morally bankrupt their acts maybe?
The hive learner's prompt above is thought-provoking. At first, I felt that Ethics and morals are the same as the laws of a country, but after careful consideration, I might not be entirely wrong. However, given the prompts, there is room for some modifications to my thoughts.
Prompt one
The first question from the prompt is; should ethics and morals be considered when making laws in a country?
Actually, the laws of every given country stem from the existing moral conduct and ethical values of the individuals inhabiting the society. So yeah, morals and ethics form the framework of every bill passed as a law in a given country.
I like to look at morals, ethics and laws as siblings with different characteristics and attributes all of which come together to ensure the sustainability of humanity. We have morals and individualistic values borne from one's sense of right and wrong.
Basically, our homes, cultures, religions and life experiences are determinants of our moral values. After learning from our immediate environment, we are most likely to form our own beliefs based on our understanding of what has been learnt. Thus, morality becomes a personal belief on what constitutes right from wrong.
After forming our moral structure at home, we now have to deal with ethics, which is usually determined by professional organizations or communities. Like in the organisation where I work, alcohol and drug abuse is unethical, and we have a zero-tolerance policy to this effect.
I remember one time, an office assistant in my organization came to work intoxicated and charged at me. I was the only one in the office at the time and as much as I was scared, I stood my ground and authoritatively walked him out of the office.
The moment he left, I locked the main entrance with a key and immediately forwarded a complaint to HR and the resulting effect was an immediate termination of his appointment. Surprisingly, when his father, who was friends with my MD, got the wing of it, he wasn't pleased that I couldn't cover up for his son. Hence, he paid a visit to my office to register his displeasure.
While he spoke to my MD, I could hear him acknowledge that his son does drugs, but it's no big deal since it's a common practice amongst the youths of today.
Hearing the man utter such words, I cringed, and immediately, I understood when people lament how badly our morality has sunk. I can't even imagine that to be my father because by the time he's done unleashing the African parenting good ol' discipline, every drug addiction will be cured. But here is someone's father defending his son he ought to chastise for his wrong.
Again, it is worth noting that apart from our work ethics and my moral standing, drug abuse is illegal in my country. Thus, in this case, we have a situation where morals, ethics and the law sync. While it might not be in all cases, ethics and morals become a consideration when making and implementing laws involving safety.
Where I draw the line and acknowledge the differences between morals, ethics, and laws are the repercussions of our actions, as the punishment for immorality and unethical behaviour is not as severe especially when no one gets hurt.
Prompt two
Just because something isn't ethical or moral, should it be deemed illegal?
Well, this question is dependent on the conditions surrounding the unethical or moral situations. Basically, for every action, there are repercussions and sometimes punishment.
I read from @justfavour on how lying being unethical and morally wrong to him shouldn't make it illegal. But then, in other situations, it should, especially in cases where lying and bearing false witness against someone cost them their lives or freedom. In the grand scheme of things, it's all about context.
Prompt three
As long as no crime is committed and no one gets hurt, shouldn't everyone have a right to do whatever they want regardless of how morally bankrupt the act may be?
I honestly cannot think of any morally bankrupt situation that does not end up in crime or hurt. I understand that we all have free will; we have the freedom to act and live as we please, but then, in our desire to exercise this freedom, we should remember that we share society with others who also have a right to feel comfortable in their space.
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