The four broad characterizations of ethical philosophy are character, obligation, results, and equity and I fall under the obligation category, according to my profile. The profile states that from my perspective, ethical principles must be: (a) appropriate under any circumstance (universalizeable); (b) respectful of human dignity; and (c) committed to promoting individual freedom and autonomy. It also states that I believe that ethical conduct appeals to “conscience” and in judging a person’s actions the intent behind the actions, not the results determines whether they are ethical or not. We need to choose how we act and the rules we are willing to follow in order to be considered ethical. (2003, Williams) Yes I do determine ethical behavior by the previous description. Intentions and actions are more important in deciding whether a person is ethical or not. A person who says one thing and does another to me is not an ethical person because the intention behind their words is to deceive and tell people what they want to hear.
I tend to base my own ethical perspectives on what a person’s individual duty is and that they have an obligation to be morally right. (2003, Williams) When I read my profile I agreed with it, I do feel that a person has a right to personal respect and the traditions and laws aimed at “what is best for society as a whole” should not be followed. One example of this perspective is the laws that are being created so that same sex couples cannot be legally recognized is unconstitutional and that getting married is a basic right of every human being. Just because the marriage is between two men or two women rather than a man and a woman does not make it wrong. The only thing that should matter is that they love each ot ...