Relevance Ethics in National Development
For a nation to be considered as “developed” the provision of social infrastructure is not all that is required, contrary to the opinion wrongly held by many? There has to be concomitant development of the physical being and most importantly, the moral attitude of the individuals that make up a society or a nation. Visualize a society composed mainly of moral dwarfs. i.e morally deficient individuals, it would be correct to say that no matter the social infrastructure available in such a nation, it is not a “develop nation”. Hence Omoregbe maintained that the moral development and maturity of the citizen of any nation are the perquisites for the development of that nation. He writes;
“Indeed moral development is the most important aspect of national development, for there can be no development of a country if its citizens are morally undeveloped and immature. Moral development and the part of the citizens is, therefore, a condition – Sine qua non for the development of nay nation…. (197).
Relevance Ethics in National Development
Although knowledge of ethics is not a sufficient guarantee for the moral rectitude of the citizens of any nation, it was earlier granted that ethics would have a significant influence and would be of great motivation to anyone who is acquainted with it. In other words, it has the potential of altering and redefining perceptions in a positive manner. It would influence albeit indirectly.
The general attitude to life of individual members of a nation and consequently influence their understanding of what social infrastructure are; the way to conduct themselves and how best to utilize available facilities for their own benefit and the nation as a whole. Only then can development be said to have been achieved.
This is to say that knowledge of ethics would equip the citizens as well as the government of any nation with the ability to visualize, articulate and see things from the standpoint of hindsight. Accordingly, government policies would be made from values in any nation. There are bound to be pressing intellectual and moral problems resulting from such separation. For there to be meaningful development, the government must give priority attention to the solving of these intellectual and moral problems. Hence, in articulating societal values ethics is very relevant and consequently, a necessity in development.
“individual ethics”
Relevance of ethics in to the individual
Every individual except the insane has a idea of what it is for something to be right or wrong, it must be admitted, is very often vague or even confused. For instance, the man who say to his friend “I am always irritated when you act the way you have just done”. Certainly perceives something he abhors in the action of his friend.
When he is asked however, the basis of this adherent attitude of his, that is why the action in question deserves this sort of treatment, he finds it difficult to state in clear terms what is wrong with the action.
Understanding why certain actions are blameworthy and other praiseworthy is important. Understanding is a serious business when the lessons an individual is faced with are forced upon the individual by life situation itself and there is no avoiding them. When success or failure, happiness or unhappiness will certainly result by the choice arising from a perfect understanding of the issues in question. An example will serve to illustrate this painting.
Relevance Ethics in National Development
Suppose a Nigerian is faced with the choice between two occupations for life, as an engineer in London and as a lecturer in a Nigerian University. He needs to weigh up the advantages of each job. But an answer to such an issue of choice requires much more than considering the economic, social or political benefit. This is so because one’s choice in such a situation depends fundamentally on some other moral/ethical consideration namely; what the individual really wants to make of his/her life. The individual must be able to answer the question, “what is the real meaning of life for me and which of these occupations will enable me realize it?
At this point, the individual is attempting to understand the inner significance of his life and the frame on ideal for himself. If the individual is to decide wisely and act consistently he needs, an understanding of morality beyond what someone has referred to as “a checklist conception of conventional social realty”. That is, he needs to known beyond the understanding of morality as comprising of the do’s and don’ts in the society. He needs to discour values and principles that will serve as guide in the realization of his life. In this important task of understood, the knowledge and training in ethics is great importance. Ethics also equips the individual with valid ethical principles that can be relied upon in his effort to give meaning to his lfie.
Moreover, jsut as individuals feel discomfort when in the midst of material disporcer, there is intellectual discomfort in the presence of vague, conflicting and pramentary, knowledge of mioral requirement for a healthy living, Robert Ulich wrote that;
“No civilization can survive without a deeper and writing definition of truths and values…….. Only the mediocre person is satisfied with a mass of incoherent and isolated knowledge. The mature person wants to misunderstand himself. The society in which he lives and his relation to the universe (34).
Ethics help the individual to synthesize, synchronized and developed a consistent and comprehensive moral view of human conduct and a comprehensive moral view of some unified outlook and response to moral problems. It may result in an “individual self” to use the words of IRuim, Edman, which in turn may lead to psychological tensions, one way an individual can gain unity in a life is persistent is turmoil is to achieve an inner integration, to know what to approve and what to disapprove based on clearly defined principles of conduct. This is self-realization and training in ethics can help the individual accomplish this fit.
Relevance Ethics in National Development
What is ethic?
Ethics has been variously defined by philosophers. This is not surprising a philosophy, the discipline of which ethnic is a branch, suffers from lack of univocal take a loot same of the definition of ethics.
Firstly, Ethics can be viewed as a normative science of human conduct. The branding of ethics as a normative science suggests at once that it differ from the physical sciences that it may deals with the standard or principle or right and wrong behaviours. It attempt to explain, state and often times urge obedience its a role. It is a science because it is a principle governed endeavour and attempts a systematic stack of human conduct. Its study represents an intellectual enterprise, a rational inquiry into human actions and affairs, in the hope of gaining knowledge.
Though it differs from the empirical sciences in significant ways, ethics shares with them a general methodology, which is rational inquiry and the attainment of truth.
It is important to note that ethics is not interested in all human behaviour but solely with that which can properly be labelled as “conduct” where one is able to make a choice between alternative causes of action as a matter of a deliberate choice to take one course of action rather than another.
The sciences of psychology, sociology and anthropology, through equally concerned with conduct, are concerned with it differently. They will tell us how men act and why they act as they do, and are thus concerned with the problem of giving the facts and laws of society, and of the behaviour of men. Moreover, when at all the concepts of “rightness” and “wrongness” occur in these sciences, they occur as part of the actual judgment men are found passing. Theories where aim at helping individual understand moral facts and which seek to discover principles implied in moral life and moral actions are the products of ethics.
It is perhaps, for this reason, that ethics is also defined as the branch of philosophy that studies ethics in this last sense suggests a distinction and between ethics and morality, and which must be drawn.
The concept “morality” properly understood has to do with the rightness of behaviour or actions of individuals, classes, groups or the society at large. Thus, the morality of behaviour, or principle is approved and recommended for the class in question. We can on this basis define morality as the right or acceptable behaviour pattern of an individual or in private life (where “individual morality” or private morality” is in question) or of society or in public life (where “social morality or “public morality” is in question).
Values of the effect of ethics to society
Society as we know is made up of individuals living together in an organized setting. These people come together for the purpose of enhancing their welfare individually and collectively. If this is true and if cast our minds back to the importance of ethics in the society. Even a cursory look at modern society reveals a society that is marked by significant scientific and technological developments and the one hand, and a steady decline in inherited values and the other.
The result of these efforts is glaring and can be summarized in two words namely, “misery” and “discomfort”. Society though has succeeded in devising numerous plans and organisations for securing greater comfort; the vast emotional insecurity arising from the destruction of older ethical ideals as well as the morbid interpretation of life.
Our inherited values concerning the nature and rights of man and the structure of our society have been destroyed. There is thus a need for creating a balance in view of the diversities and compilations in societal structure and development. Our challenge is to build or construct a consistent scale value that will serve mankind not only in its search for bread and milk but also for satisfying the innermost desires of the people’s being, namely, the search for truth, knowledge and happiness. Ethics is a read, tool for this goal because of the closet connection it has with culture and with the succession of changes in society.
This is because ethical principles are in effect a proclamation that such and such should be and in fact ought to be. The significant values that society should pursue. In forming principles and patterns to be conformed to in future thought and action, ethics is addictive and transforming in its role in society.
Relevance Ethics in National Development
Secondly, there is hardly any endeavour undertaken by man that ethical issues or problems do not arise, be it in law, medicine, environmental studies, teaching and toadning (Business) to mention but a few. In these varied fields ethical problems that arise must b handled, for upon them solutions to other probles adequately, a knowledge of ethics is of utmost importance. An illustration in law might serve to drive home this point. The moment a client engages the services of a lawyer, the lawyer needs analytical, problem-solving skills to identify all the legal issues that are presented by the facts. But the client might well have omitted important facts unconsciously.
The lawyer then uses his imaginative ability and creativity acquired from a knowledge of ethics to anticipate the moral dimension of the case and to develop the facts in enough detail. The lawyer can only correctly appreciate the moral implication of the case and the moral discomfort likely to result to his client (and which he must fully articulate, organize and present in a clear and concise manner). If he has knowledge of ethics in addition to his liegal training.
Moreover, a practicing lawyer, doctor, administrator, or lecturer who is trained in ethics in consonance with the spirit of philosophy, is likely to encounter recognize problem areas in need of reforms. He will see beyond formal technicalities, beyond the ethics of what is and is not professionally acceptable, and will actively pursue reforms of the system to enhance process. Hence, Perttins Jeffrey wrote thus: my philosophy training has assisted me greatly in my practice of law.
Culture and ethics
Culture reflects the moral values and ethical norms governing how people should behave and interact with others.
Culture describes a collective way of life, or way of doing things. It is the sum of attitude, values, goals, and practices shared by individuals in a group, organization, or society. Cultures vary over time periods, between countries and geographic regions and among groups and organizations. Culture reflects moral and ethical beliefs and standards. That speaks to how people should behaved and interacts with others.
Culture norms are the shared, same-timed, and integrated systems of beliefs and practices that are passed down through generations and characterize a cultural group. Norms cultivate reliable guidelines for daily living and contribute to the health and well-being of a culture. They act as prescriptions for correct and moral behaviour, lend meaning and coherence to life, and provide a means of achieving a sense of integrity, safety and belonging. These normative beliefs, together with related cultural values and rituals, impose a sense of order and control aspects of life that might otherwise appear chaotic or unpredictable.
Relevance Ethics in National Development
This is where culture intersects with ethics. Since interpretations of what is moral are influenced by cultural norms, the possibility exists, that what is ethical to one group will not be considered so by someone living in a different culture. According to cultural relativists, this means that there is no singular truth on which to base ethical or moral behaviour for all time and geographical space, as our interpretation of truths is influenced by our own culture. This approach is in contrast to universalism, which holds the position that moral values are the same for everyone. Cultural relativists consider this to be an ethnocentric view, as the universal set values proposed by universalists are based on their set of values. Cultural relativism is also considered more moral tolerant than universalism because, if there is no basis for making moral judgments between cultures, then have to be tolerant of each other.
The everyday tasks that I do as a lawyer I do better because i am also trained in philosophy further, my philosophical training helps me to be more than just a good legal technician; it helps me to probe and to reflect and to seek to understand the legal system in which I work. Philosophy and law has proven to be a satisfying combination for me (72).
Also in social work, while the need for a sympathetic interest is fellow human being is necessary, a balanced outlook is of utmost importance if one is to avoid becoming emotionally involved in one’s client’s problems. Knowledge of ethics needed outlook. In police activities, military intelligence units, civil service, and journalism, to mention but a few, there must be room for imagination, conceptual analysis, organization sorting out of problems, and looking out for possible solutions. Ethics is very useful in this regard.
Finally, ethics is a sure guide to society in clearly differentially between what appears to be an ideal or good goal and what is truly ideal or good. It is undoubtedly upon this differential and taking of appreciative decisions that the destiny of the society depends.
Relevance Ethics in National Development
REFERENCE
Baier, K. (1965), The moral point of view, New York: Randaun House, Inc.
Omeregbe, J. (1991, Ethics for Every Nigerian, Lagos: Joja.
Educational Research and Publisher ltd.
Mackie J. L. (1981), Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong, Harmondsworth: Penguim and Books Ltd.
Elementary Ethics. M. Oke PhD. I.F. Esikot
Relevance Ethics in National Development