Ethics and Morality

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that a good friend of the author has committed a heinous act by burning down the home of the neighborhood gossip, meddler and hateful person who has been a thorn in the side of the entire neighborhood for years---there is no evidence of this action, the friend will never be caught but the author must decide if he will turn the friend in. The author points out that morality is the actual feeling of doing wrong or right and society's view of certain actions; whereas, ethics is actually the study of those views and beliefs. The paper concludes that deciding what to do ethically and morally about the friend has helped the author look into his ethics and morality; he feels that the ultimate decision not to turn in the friend is the right one.

From the Paper:

"There is another important, even vital consideration in turning my friend in. What is right or wrong for one person might be very different for another. One person might choose to be "compassionate" and allow my friend to keep his secret. That would not work for me. That would simply create another crime where only one occurred. Technically, I could be charged for withholding evidence, but morally, I would have let down the society that expects its members to act ethically and morally. If I act as judge and jury, and decide not to turn in my friend, I am flaunting society's rules just as much as he did, and that makes me just as guilty as he is."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Foster, Gregory D. "Ethics: Time to Revisit the Basics." The Humanist Mar.-Apr. 2003: 30+.
• Skidelsky, William. "All Your Questions Answered: Secrets of the Watermelon." New Statesman 6 Sept. 2004: 15+.
• Stephen, Jaci. "When It's a Matter of Life and Death ." The Mirror (London, England) 31 Jan. 1996: 1.

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