Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

It is believed that people can have relative and absolute ethics and morals. However, it ignites the debate regarding the extent of considering some actions absolutely good or bad. There are many situations in which it is complicated to decide whether a person has made an ethically sound choice. Therefore, I consider all ethical and moral principles relative because they frequently depend on the context.

The central part of the discussed problem is that ethics and morals have no sense or value without a specific situation. There are rules encompassed in the Ten Commandments that can be regarded as absolute. Socrates said that ethics is knowing what people ought to do, which suggests that members of a society should have moral guidelines (Velasquez et al., 1987). Despite this, many individuals violate absolute prescriptions due to various reasons. For instance, one of the parents can steal some food from a store because the family does not have enough money. Without context, stealing is absolutely bad, but when one looks at the situation, he or she might find reasons to condone such an action. It seems that everyone already has the right to decide which behaviors are acceptable or not, considering the example above. Moreover, many businesses choose smart and reasonable solutions instead of morally right ones (MCAESCU, 2012). Thus, human nature is built in a way to make rational solutions, which can be disadvantageous for the rest.

The issue also concerns the criminal justice system in many countries worldwide. The views of legal professionals on ethics and morals can affect day-to-day decision-making and even people’s lives. For example, if one accidentally injures a person, it would be unjust to impose capital punishment, which relates more to the belief about the adequacy of crime and penalty (Velasquez et al., 2014). In addition, the U.S. justice system is not perfect because black people tend to receive more death sentences than whites (Velasquez et al., 2014). In this case, the moral attitudes of legal professionals leave many questions and can compromise the ordinary lives of many families.

Finally, society works in a way that makes ethics and morals relative in most cases. Although people have a set of moral principles like the Ten Commandments, it does not guarantee that they will follow them. Moreover, legal professionals can also make morally ambiguous decisions on imposing a penalty, which can dramatically impact the daily decision-making of many individuals.

References

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. (2012). . Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Web.

Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T. S. J., & Meyer, M. J. (1987). Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Web.

Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T. S. J., & Meyer, M. J. (2014).. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Web.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, January 21). Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morals-ambiguous-decisions-on-imposing-a-penalty/

Work Cited

"Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty." IvyPanda, 21 Jan. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morals-ambiguous-decisions-on-imposing-a-penalty/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty'. 21 January.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty." January 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morals-ambiguous-decisions-on-imposing-a-penalty/.

1. IvyPanda. "Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty." January 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morals-ambiguous-decisions-on-imposing-a-penalty/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Ethics and Morals: Ambiguous Decisions on Imposing a Penalty." January 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morals-ambiguous-decisions-on-imposing-a-penalty/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1