Be Mains Ready

Approach

• Describe morality.
• Give arguments to show that sometimes circumstances justify morality using situational and consequentialism approach to ethics.
• Give a conclusion.

Introduction

• Morality is the standard or code of conduct of society or group or individual to decide what is right or wrong behaviour.
• Certain ethical approaches tend to provide absolute guidelines for behaviour under all circumstances e.g. Deontological and Virtue approach.

Body

• In situation ethics, right and wrong depend upon the situation. There are no universal moral rules or rights - each case is unique and deserves a unique solution. Thus ethics according to this approach depends upon circumstances.
• In some times and places an action may be ethically wrong however in other situations it may not be so e.g. lying is ordinarily not in the best interest of interpersonal communication and social integrity, but is justifiable in certain situations e.g. lying to a person with violent intentions to protect someone.
• Cultural sensitivity: Action of individual or organization should be sensitive to circumstances, context, particularity, and cultural traditions. Every moral decision is required to demonstrate respect for individuals and communities and the things that they regard as valuable. This avoids impersonal ethics e.g. deontological approach.
• Importance of motives or intentions: The rightness of an action does not reside in the act itself but in factors like the totality of end, means or motive. For eg: stealing medicine to save someone’s life.
• Ethical relativism supports the position that there are no moral absolutes, no moral right or wrong. This position would assert that our morals evolve and change with social norms over a period of time, thus giving primacy to circumstances.
• Consequentialism approach provides that right or wrong depends on the consequences of an act and that the more good consequences are produced, the better the act. Consequentialism is flexible and can take account of the circumstances.

Conclusion

• Although morality is justified by the circumstances in many cases, there can be instances when morality based on circumstances may produce dysfunctional outcomes. e.g. in Public services if an individual claims to act according to circumstances bypassing code of conduct produces inconsistency and problem of fixing accountability.
• It is important not to let circumstances dictate the morality each time, to avoid chaos in the society.