por He ethical judgment It consists of making the most appropriate decision in the face of a dilemma in which the most consistent with morality and ethics must be chosen. It is an individual decision, although it is related to the moral values of society.
To decide properly, the person must use reason and choose the best option, based on their knowledge about what is right or wrong. For example, a person has an ethical judgment when having to choose whether to return a wallet full of money or to keep it.
Although it is a tool that human beings have used since their appearance on the planet, the use of the concept dates back only to the 18th century. However, Ethics has been studied since the time of ancient Greece.
It is convenient not to confuse this type of judgment with the moral one because, although they share similarities, they have different features. The main one is that, while in the ethical trial he uses reasoning to make the decision, the moral one makes assessments of the actions or behaviors.
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How did the concept of ethical judgment arise?
The term «ethics» has many centuries of history. It comes from the Greek word “ethos”, which means custom. Ethics – as part of philosophy – studies good and evil, and their relationship with the human being.
Another meaning attributed to it is the totality of customs and norms in human behavior.
Regarding the concept ethical judgmentIt’s much more recent. It began to be used in the 18th century as a way to solve interpersonal or social problems.
Definition
Ethical judgment is defined as the reasoning necessary to be able to choose the most convenient action or attitude among those that arise in a given situation.
This decision must be based on social norms, or on the set of values that society considers correct. In this way, this type of trial seeks to help solve any ethical dilemma that appears.
Thanks to him, the different options available are analyzed and the one that best suits the situation is taken, without violating moral norms, whether social or personal.
Characteristics of ethical judgment
Some of the main characteristics of ethical judgment are the following:
-To do so, abstract moral principles are taken into account.
-It is not partial when judging the rights of others, but they are respected.
-The individual is placed first in front of social relations.
-It is only a way to achieve a fair result, without prejudging the results.
-The important thing is the procedure used.
-All human beings use it throughout their lives, even if the end result is harmful to themselves.
-It is about using a concept of universal justice when making decisions.
Elements of ethical judgment
The object, the purpose and the circumstances are the three axes that determine whether an act complies with ethical standards. If all three meet criteria of goodness, the judgment to which the person acting is exposed will be positive. These elements also apply to moral judgments.
Object
Answer the question of «What should I do?». The object refers to the act that the individual performs regardless of the circumstances.
End
The end refers to what the individual wishes to obtain by carrying out his action.
Circumstances
They are the conditions that go hand in hand with the act (place, space, time, context, etc.). These influence to justify why they acted in one way or another.
Example
A young man hits the back of a friend of his, causing him momentary damage. A priori, this would trigger a very negative ethical judgment, since it caused harm for no reason.
However, if the young man, after thinking about it carefully, hit his friend (object of act) because he had a spider on his back (end) and it was potentially poisonous (circumstances), then the ethical judgment will be totally different, since that it was acted kindly.
Examples of Ethical Judgment
Virtually every major decision a person makes during his life uses this type of judgment. Training the individual to be able to do them is one of the bases of education.
In general terms, it can be noted that when it is decided not to commit a criminal act, it is a great example of these trials.
It is not a choice due to fear of punishment, but because it contravenes the moral codes accepted by society. The consequences for the social group and for loved ones are taken into account.
concrete examples
1- A politician who has been caught lying about something person loses his credibility and is no longer trustworthy in his public activities.
2- When seeing a person treat another badly, everyone ends up judging him and thinking that his performance is not correct.
3- Those who mistreat animals receive a severe judgment by those who are aware of it. This abuser is usually classified as a cruel person. He even extrapolates acting from him thinking that he can harm humans too.
4- He who cheats in an exam no longer has the confidence of his teachers. He also gets reproach from peers who have tried too hard.
5- Bullying at school supposes, apart from the penal consequences, a severe ethical judgment by the whole society.
6- Whoever throws a piece of waste or a tobacco butt on the ground can be exposed to being judged as an unhygienic person and not at all empathetic with the environment
7- The young person who does not give up a seat to an elderly person or person with mobility problems can be judged and identified as a selfish person or without compassion.
8- Those who use their car after drinking alcohol expose themselves to being judged by their environment because of their uncivil attitude, and may lose friends.
Similarities and differences with morality
Morality is a field that has been studied since the times of classical Greece.
Although there have been different definitions throughout the centuries, today it is considered as the set of rules that human beings living in society must follow in order to maintain harmony and good coexistence.
Although there may be people outside this common morality, the vast majority are immersed in the codes it dictates.
similarities
Both in ethical and moral judgment, there are a series of rules or perceptions about how each person’s behavior should be.
When speaking of morality, the norms have been transmitted by the culture of society, with a teaching that goes from generation to generation. Ethics is how the individual has adapted morality to his own way of being and thinking.
differences
One of the main differences between the concepts of morality and ethics is the scope of development. While the first can vary depending on society and culture, ethics is much more personal, even if it comes from morality itself.
Thus, ethics needs a greater individual intervention, since it is the individual who must internalize it and use it in their judgments. In this way, it can be affirmed that ethics is born of individual thought, of conscience, of each person.
As has been commented, morality is external, social and has a greater burden of obligation if you want to maintain a good coexistence in the community in which you live.
Precisely for this reason, moral obligations are much more coercive.
In certain societies, for example, a pregnant single woman will be judged very harshly by community morality. Even if she does not have criminal punishment, it can mean that the mother-to-be is socially ostracized and despised.
Meanwhile, it is the intellect and rationality that count most in the personal ethical sense. Although it is influenced by social morality, the individual must adapt it to his thoughts and beliefs.
In the previous case of the single mother, someone can ethically judge that the attitude of despising her and giving her shelter and help is wrong, even though it contravenes general morality.
Differences between ethical judgment and moral judgment
Given the above explanation, the differences between ethical judgment and moral judgment are easily deducible. In the first, reason fundamentally comes into play.
It is the individual who must rationally consider the consequences of actions. youAll this process is done according to the rules of society, but there is also room for one’s own rules.
In the case of moral judgment, individual options are more limited. Simply, it is about assessing whether the action is positive or negative.
To do this, it takes into account the set of norms that society has defined as correct or incorrect. It can be said that it is much stricter than ethical.
References
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ITESCAM. Moral judgment and ethical judgment. Recovered from recursos.salonesvirtuales.com.
Theoretical framework. Moral judgment and ethical judgment. Recovered from marcoteorico.com.
Psychology dictionary. Ethical Judgment. Retrieved from psychologydictionary.org.
Baiada-Hireche, Lorea; Garreau, Lionel. Exploring the dynamics of ethical judgment: The Sensemaking-Based Evolution Model. Retrieved from strategy-aims.com.
Leibniz University Hannover. Ethical Judgment. Retrieved from didageo.uni-hannover.de.
BBC. Ethics: a general introduction. Retrieved from bbc.co.uk
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. A Framework for Ethical Decision Making. Retrieved from scu.edu.