Introduction
Being ethical means behaving in the best possible way with oneself and others. Therefore, it is connected with morality and inner values on the one side and efficiency and strategy on the other. In the modern world, which is highly complex, being ethical means combining these qualities: being efficient in one’s actions while understanding their consequences. It will ensure that there will be no harm while the benefits will increase. To know how to develop such ethics for the modern world, the development of moral values will be described first. Then, several ethical frameworks will be presented, and how they can be used to develop an efficient personal strategy will be shown.
Morality and Values
Morality is the basis of behavior, and moral values determine good and evil. Moral development starts from childhood: Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is a good model that illustrates it (“Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development,” n.d.). According to him, there are three levels of moral development: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional, each of which consists of two stages. On the pre-conventional level, morality is based on simple obedience to authority and fear of punishment. In contrast, on the conventional level, it is grounded on the understanding of mutually beneficial social conventions. Lastly, on the post-conventional level, one learns to reflect on moral principles and develop one’s most efficient morality.
Ethical Frameworks
One can choose several ethical frameworks to orient and solve ethical dilemmas. Examples are deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics, each providing a different view on determining excellent and wrong. The deontological approach is based on developing moral rules that should be acceptable to everyone and improve the lives of all people involved (Wicks et al., 2016). The utilitarian approach is based not on rules and actions but their consequences: if they harm anyone, they are wrong, and if they increase benefits, they are right (Werhane, 1997).
Lastly, virtue ethics originated from Ancient Greek philosophers and is based on character virtues, such as courage and temperance, which should be developed to live the best life possible (Gottlieb, 2009). All three approaches may be combined to build a unique ethical system that is well-suited for any personality. However, virtue ethics provide the most balanced approach to personality development, which is crucial for the modern world.
Ethics and Strategy
Today, ethics and life strategy are intertwined and should be used to ensure the most efficient application of ethical frameworks and moral reasoning. A life strategy is how one will allocate time and resources and which method will be used for self-realization (Christensen, 2017). Development of one’s strategic plans should be based on a precise analysis of available resources and personal preferences, and it can be compared to the development of individual culture. Nurturing one’s character virtues enables one to develop a life strategy better, as these virtues help in decision-making and managing one’s desires, emotions, and thoughts (Gottlieb, 2009). Lastly, utilitarian and deontological frameworks help one understand the consequences of each one’s actions and develop the most efficient moral rules.
Summary and Conclusion
The modern world is extensively complex, and no simple ethical decisions can solve the widespread ethical dilemmas. Virtue ethics, based on character development and nurturing intellectual and moral virtues, is well-suited for it, enabling one to make oneself better, kinder, and more robust. Utilitarian and deontological frameworks help one understand their actions’ consequences and develop the best possible rules for their lives. Together, they can be used to create a strategy for efficient life management. Therefore, to behave ethically in the modern world, one can explore various ethical frameworks and use them to develop a life strategy of allocating resources and creating one’s culture for self-realization.
References
Christensen, C. (2017). How will you measure your life?Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.
Gottlieb, P. (2009). The virtue of Aristotle’s ethics. Cambridge University Press.
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. (n.d.). In Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Web.
Werhane, P. H. (1997). A note on moral imagination. University of Virginia Darden School Foundation.
Wicks, A. C., Harris, J. D., Parmar, B. L., & Mead, J. (2016). Moral theory, frameworks, and the language of ethics and business. University of Virginia Darden School Foundation.