Nowadays, it is critical to use universal ethical and moral dogmas as guidance, as it will help avoid conflicts and find effective solutions. This matter is highly important in dentistry and other branches of medical sphere since the safety of the patient is highly dependent on following these principles. Apart from having similar intentions, the moral principles are general concepts that help one find a distinction between good and bad (Zachary Department of Civil Engineering, 2012). In this instance, morals are universal values that are accepted by the society but may vary depending on the culture. The incident at New Jersey Dental School was one of the situations when these rules were violated since the students “traded credits required for graduation” (Surbhi, 2006, par. 1). It dishonored one of the most important principles of morals that implied no cheating. As for ethics, they use morals as the basis, have a universal nature, and define the main principles of human behavior. For example, the medical ethics prioritize the safety of the patients. To summarize, both concepts determine the differences between right and wrong but ethics tend to be universal while morals are individual.
Speaking of the statement ‘you have morals but you do ethics’, it may signify that morals may vary depending on the culture or professional background. It remains apparent that morals are not universal, as many factors tend to affect their development. Alternatively, everyone has a right to have his/her perception of good or bad since these concepts form one’s traits. As for ethics in the context of this statement, it could be said that doing ethics instead of relying on personal morals have to be prioritized. Following this principle will assist in avoiding conflicts and respecting the rights and freedoms of the individuals. Consequently, this statement implies that one can have a well-developed framework of morals but understand the paramount importance of ethics in decision-making.
The previous statement and theoretical background indicated that ethics and morals were the interdependent components (Zachary Department of Civil Engineering, 2012). In this instance, this finding implies that they have to be considered of equal significance in defining one’s behavior and decision-making schemes. Consequently, relying solely on morals may have adverse effects on one’s reputation and relationships with the members of the community and lead to the development of conflicts due to the clash of interests. One of the examples was a scandal at New Jersey Dental School (Surbhi, 2006). The students might have positive intentions when selling medical procedures required for accreditation (Surbhi, 2006). Nevertheless, their actions did not comply with the ethical codes and showed disrespect to the students, who were gaining credits by relying on their hard work. This incident not only damaged their reputation but also questioned the reliability of the educational institution.
In the end, it could be said that ethics and morals are interdependent components that cannot be separated. Morals can be discovered as the basis for ethics, but they may depend on one’s individual professional and cultural background. These concepts are not universal, and this matter creates difficulties when interpreting them. In this case, relying solely on morals may be a potential reason for conflicts and damaged reputation. As for ethics, these dogmas can be discovered as the commonly accepted principles that guide one’s actions and help avoid conflicting situations. Consequently, both of these matters have to be taken into account when making a particular decision.
References
Surbhi, R. (2006). Crowning blow at troubled medical university is dental cheating scandal. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web.
Zachary Department of Civil Engineering. (2012). Moral concepts and theories. Web.