Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship provide objective criteria to guide our choices. The standards of conduct that arise out of those values constitute the ground rules of ethics, and therefore of ethical decision-making. .
Consensus, discovered and acknowledged, has a special power to change society and lives. A clear, consistent language represents that consensus. So that people can see what unites our diverse and fractured society, so that the challenge of ethical relativism can be tackled. So that ethical decisions, while not necessarily made any easier, can nevertheless become more consistent and defensible.
Finally, using core ethical values as the basis for principled reasoning can help us detect situations where we focus so hard on upholding one moral principle that we sacrifice another. Where, intent on holding others accountable, we ignore the duty to be compassionate; where, intent on getting a job done, we ignore how.
LEVELS OF IMPACT.
Everyone makes many decisions everyday. There are three levels of impact ethical decisions we make are influenced by;.
o Individual Level: The character of the individual developed over the years; . of principles, ideals, values; capacities for moral discernment; conscience, moral courage.
o Situational Level: The confirmation with a particular issue; knowledge of the situation and exercises of discernment; application of principle consonant with one's personal identity.
o Society Level: The individual nurtured and shaped by the social and cultural milieu -- family, neighborhood, peer groups, schools, and church.
However, the full impact of what we know to be right will only affect our decisions if we take the time to consider our actions. If we are very comfortable telling our children to lie about their age to obtain a reduced fare on the bus or at the movies, we either think that this is acceptable or have not taken the time to recognize what is right or wrong about that decision.
