THOSE DARN DEONTOLOGISTS

The first approach is what many people refer to as rule-based ethics . This approach to making decisions suggests that being ethical is a matter of accepting that as individual human beings we have a duty to do certain things. These ˜certain things are based on ethical principles and form the rules that you should follow. Further, as an ethical thinker with this perspective, you would apply these rules equally and fairly to all. For example, if one of the rules is that you have a duty to be honest, then you must be honest in all situations.

The rules that people adopt as their moral standards are often set out for them by others such as organized religions (think: the Ten Commandments). For members of a particular professional group , they might think of their rules as those set out by professional associations such as the Institute for Public Relations (think: the Code of Ethics). These codes of conduct, however, tend to be broad guidelines that are themselves based on more specific rules. They are developed based on selected universal ethical principles and the values of those creating them; they are codified and presented as the rules of engagement. We'll discuss codes of ethics more thoroughly in Chapter 8.

A rule-based approach to ethics, with its consistent application of dogmatic ethical principles or rules, does have a certain appeal . If you do not feel fully qualified to be making moral judgements or comfortable changing the application of the rules to fit a situation, this approach is reassuring. In fact, this approach may appear at first glance to provide a just, equitable way to ensure equivalent decisions in similar situations. Indeed, your duties clearly define what you ought to do. But consider the plight of our bus driver. If a law is a law is a law ”well, you can see what can happen.