Ethics PDF

ETHICS Moral Standards: Principles guiding behavior, distinct from social norms or legal rules. Moral Dilemma: A situation where conflicting moral principles make it difficult to determine the right action. Moral Responsibility: Accountability for one's actions, crucial for ethical behavior. Human...

ETHICS Moral Standards: Principles guiding behavior, distinct from social norms or legal rules. Moral Dilemma: A situation where conflicting moral principles make it difficult to determine the right action. Moral Responsibility: Accountability for one's actions, crucial for ethical behavior. Human Acts vs. Acts of Man Human acts - are deliberate and morally evaluable Acts Of Man - are instinctive and not subject to moral judgment. EXAMPLE: Donating to charity is a human act, while sneezing is an act of man. Determinants of Morality: The act itself, the intention behind it, and the circumstances surrounding it all contribute to its moral evaluation. Principles of Intention: The intention behind an action influences its moral worth. Example: Helping someone genuinely vs. helping them to gain something in return. Principle of Circumstance: The context or situation can affect the moral evaluation of an action. Example: Self-defense vs. unprovoked aggression. Ethical Theories Egoism: Focuses on self-interest as the primary motivator for action.  Example: Choosing a career solely based on high salary potential. Utilitarianism: Aims to maximize overall happiness or pleasure and minimize suffering.  Example: Implementing public health policies that benefit the majority, even if some individuals are inconvenienced. Moral Relativism: Suggests that morality is subjective and varies across cultures and individuals.  Example: Different cultural views on appropriate end-of-life care. Situation Ethics: Emphasizes love and compassion as the guiding principles for ethical decision-making, allowing for flexibility in specific situations.  Example: A nurse bending visiting hour rules to allow a dying patient's family to be with them. Kantian Ethics (Deontological): Focuses on moral duties and principles, emphasizing the importance of acting out of a sense of duty and treating people as ends in themselves, not means to an end.  Example: Always telling the truth, even if it leads to negative consequences. Virtue Ethics: Stresses the development of moral character and virtues like compassion, integrity, and courage.   Example: A nurse demonstrating empathy and patience when caring for a difficult patient. SUMMARY: Ethics provides a framework for distinguishing right from wrong and offers reasons for those distinctions. Freedom is crucial for moral decision-making, as it allows individuals to act according to their values.  Understanding human biology is essential for nurses to provide effective care. Bioethics addresses ethical issues arising from advances in biology and medicine. Health ethics guides professional behavior and decision-making in healthcare. Professional ethics ensures professionals act in accordance with their roles and responsibilities. Virtue ethics emphasizes the importance of developing good moral character and acting in accordance with virtues. · The categorical imperative in Kantian ethics states that one should only act in ways that they would want everyone else to act. The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.