RULES RULE OUR LIVES


Rules are a part of our so-called civilized existence from the cradle to the grave. We face family rules, school rules and eventually those rules to which all of us must subscribe or face serious consequences ”society's laws. (Although by definition rules and laws are not exactly the same thing, based on common usage of the terms, for the purposes of our discussion, we'll consider laws to be a kind of rule.) And while it seems that if we had moral laws and consequences it might be easier to police ethical behaviour, it would actually be much more difficult to act in an ethical manner in modern society.

Take the case of the school bus driver with a bus full of children. One beautiful autumn day, the bus driver ferries his load of exuberant children along a road towards a set of traffic lights. As the bus moves down the hill towards the intersection, the bus driver glances in his rear view mirror and notices with horror that there is a tractor trailer bearing down on him, seemingly without any intention or perhaps ability to stop. Another glance forward tells the bus driver that the light has just turned red. Normally, he follows the laws of the land to the letter. A red light means stop. Our society tells us that we must obey the laws. What should he do?

Okay. This is an easy one. He considers his responsibility to the children, checks for oncoming traffic and barrels through the red light, breaking the law. He did something illegal, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who truly believes that in this case the law did not take into account this specific situation. There were mitigating circumstances.

Rules and laws are like that. It would be a huge advantage to us if we always knew how to do the right thing, or perhaps more to the point, if we always knew what we ought to do , particularly since this is the fundamental objective of ethical decision-making. But not all situations are the same. In fact, in ethics, there are two distinct and often opposing approaches to ethical decision-making. One is based on the belief that what one ought to do is adopt and follow a set of ethical rules. The second approach suggests that what one ought to do is apply ethical rules and principles based on the specific circumstances of the situation.

Which approach ought one to adopt?




Ethics in Public Relations. A Guide to Best Practice
Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice (PR in Practice)
ISBN: 074945332X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 165

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