SOCIAL ETHICS

SOCIAL ETHICS:

What is the Social Ethic of Sharing?

·        Basically societies work on the principle of give and take. In other words sharing is inherent to human life.

·        By sharing something with a person who is in dire need of it you are starting a chain of good deeds which is bound to come back to you in some form or the other.

·        Sharing can imply not only physical and material things but can broadly involve sharing of emotions and moral support.

·        Thus the social ethic of sharing is crucial to meaningful interaction in society.

What are the factors that influence Social Ethics?

·        What is considered right or wrong by a society seems to be influenced by a number of factors and social ethics  such as religious beliefs, the economic conditions, social and cultural factors and so on.

·        Besides this, political and legislative bodies may influence what a society holds to be socially ethical.

·        For example issues such as abortion, euthanasia, death penalty and   animal cruelty have long been topics of debate in various societies.

·        Further the advance in science medicine and technology has given rise to a number of issues which may be a threat to the age-old social ethics.

·        For example, gene manipulation , artificial insemination, cloning etc have given rise to ethical questions which can disturb the equilibrium of a society.

What are the social ethics of living in a community?

·        Help and care are the foundation of any community. It is important to identify the need and decide how you can help the person. For example the poor in a community can be helped in a number of ways.

·        It could be in the form of personal help or seeking help for them through some voluntary organization.

·        Social ethics is all about understanding the obligations one has towards others in a community. Understandably social ethics is a complex topic and cannot be defined objectively. But generally any behavior that is largely considered right or good by large groups tend to be accepted by the society as a whole over a period of time.

How can one be Socially Accountable?

·        An individual is accountable not only to his loved ones in his family but in a large sense towards all those with whom he interacts in society.

·        They may include his friends, supervisors, co-workers among others. The idea is to generate mutual interests and trust avoiding deception of any kind.

·        Public trust can be earned by following the social ethics of help, responsibility, honesty, fairness and freedom.

·        Consequently it would be considered negative social ethics when one indulges in arrogance, dishonesty, irresponsibility and has conflicting interests.