Can Ethics Be Taught
International Journal of Business and Social Science
Vol. 2 No. 12; July 2011
Can Ethics Be Taught?
Thomas G. Ryan, Ed.D.
Associate Professor
Nipissing University (Graduate Studies)
Faculty of Education
Ontario, Canada
E-mail: thomasr@nipissingu.ca
Jeremy Bisson, M.Ed.
Assistant Professor
Nipissing University
Ontario, Canada
Abstract
For many years educational programs have dealt with ethics. However, can ethics be taught? Secondly, how should it be taught? The notion that ethics is a process of communication that gives way to new understandings and commitments to our social life has been utilized herein to explore several questions. Should ethics teaching be via standalone modules or embedded in ethics discussion within …show more content…
He defined morals as the behaviours of a human and ethics as a “. . . systematic rational reflection upon that behaviour” (p. 297). Cragg (1997) noted a similar distinction between moral standards and ethics when he stated:
I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning through complex ethical issues so that the students can apply the moral standards they have in his view, the primary function is to teach ethical systems of analysis, not moral standards of behaviour. (p. 19)
Being able to teach ethics within a program requires instructors to be able to grasp the process of moral reasoning to a point where this can be taught as a necessary route to arrive at ethically sound outcomes. Instructors therefore need to have an understanding of the moral relationship with ethics, something that may take a great deal of experience with the unique curricula to fully grasp. Gundersen, Capozzoli and Rajamma (2008) supported …show more content…
There are critics, like religious ethicists, who do not agree with Kohlberg‟s moral development theory. Furman
(1990) explains that ethical-decision making does not have to be understood similar in a linear, rigid and scientific manner. Furman (1990) defines character-based ethics as “rather than relying on abstract principles to decide on correct oral action, this approach is interested in developing the agent‟s moral character or virtues by reference to narratives or sortie, metaphors, parables, images and so forth” (p. 33). As opposed to interpreting ethical situations from an objective lens, ethical decisions could also be based on subjectivity (Furman, 1990). Furman
(1990) does indicate that virtue ethics can have just as many issues as principle-based ethics. For example, virtue-based ethics could empower individuals to think that ethical decision making is done on an individual basis and without a connection to society as a whole. Coinciding with character-based ethics, Robertson (1993) believed that future research conducted in this area must focus on behaviours as opposed to questionnaires designed to identify attitudes.
Oddo (1997) explained that in addition to teaching ethical decision making skills, business faculties must
Vol. 2 No. 12; July 2011
Can Ethics Be Taught?
Thomas G. Ryan, Ed.D.
Associate Professor
Nipissing University (Graduate Studies)
Faculty of Education
Ontario, Canada
E-mail: thomasr@nipissingu.ca
Jeremy Bisson, M.Ed.
Assistant Professor
Nipissing University
Ontario, Canada
Abstract
For many years educational programs have dealt with ethics. However, can ethics be taught? Secondly, how should it be taught? The notion that ethics is a process of communication that gives way to new understandings and commitments to our social life has been utilized herein to explore several questions. Should ethics teaching be via standalone modules or embedded in ethics discussion within …show more content…
He defined morals as the behaviours of a human and ethics as a “. . . systematic rational reflection upon that behaviour” (p. 297). Cragg (1997) noted a similar distinction between moral standards and ethics when he stated:
I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning through complex ethical issues so that the students can apply the moral standards they have in his view, the primary function is to teach ethical systems of analysis, not moral standards of behaviour. (p. 19)
Being able to teach ethics within a program requires instructors to be able to grasp the process of moral reasoning to a point where this can be taught as a necessary route to arrive at ethically sound outcomes. Instructors therefore need to have an understanding of the moral relationship with ethics, something that may take a great deal of experience with the unique curricula to fully grasp. Gundersen, Capozzoli and Rajamma (2008) supported …show more content…
There are critics, like religious ethicists, who do not agree with Kohlberg‟s moral development theory. Furman
(1990) explains that ethical-decision making does not have to be understood similar in a linear, rigid and scientific manner. Furman (1990) defines character-based ethics as “rather than relying on abstract principles to decide on correct oral action, this approach is interested in developing the agent‟s moral character or virtues by reference to narratives or sortie, metaphors, parables, images and so forth” (p. 33). As opposed to interpreting ethical situations from an objective lens, ethical decisions could also be based on subjectivity (Furman, 1990). Furman
(1990) does indicate that virtue ethics can have just as many issues as principle-based ethics. For example, virtue-based ethics could empower individuals to think that ethical decision making is done on an individual basis and without a connection to society as a whole. Coinciding with character-based ethics, Robertson (1993) believed that future research conducted in this area must focus on behaviours as opposed to questionnaires designed to identify attitudes.
Oddo (1997) explained that in addition to teaching ethical decision making skills, business faculties must