Question

One of our first discussions asked us why we need morals if we have laws? The answer, which seems painfully obvious to me, is that because they represent two different claims on our behavior that sometimes come into conflict. You can have an unethical law! If you do not believe me, I think the class can carpet bomb you with examples to prove the point. So, let us accept it as proven laws are not ethics, and ethics are not laws.

Why then do laws have a role in the Blanchard and Peale method? Why does the legality of an act becomes significant to determining the morality of an act in this system? I suppose one answer is that Blanchard and Peale is not about ethics. But if you want to go that rout, why are we studying it? If laws are not ethical mandates, why should they matter to determining the ethical thing to do?

Answer 1

Law takes the very first place among the three questions asked while performing the ethical check according to which to determine whether the decision is ethical depends first on finding out whether the decision is legal, acceptable and following regulations.

legality of an act becomes significant to determining the morality of an act in this system because this method believes that legality gives validation to the decision on the basis of collective consciousness of human mind to consider it right for the people ,, thus receiving moral significance and social acceptance.

Yes Blanchard and Peale is not necessarily about ethics but rather it aims to check the morality of decision and amount of righteousness it brings by investigating how it makes us feel about ourself. . So we are studying this method because morality of decision and the degree to which it is ethical is closely related to our consciousness and is very personal aspect. Therefore if this method makes us take decisions which will make us fe good about our actions then they can be ethical also.

Laws are not ethical mandates but laws definitely consider rulings which can bring social good, protect the interests and determine whether person or group of common people is immorally affected by one’s action, which are declared as wrong. So the notion brings to conclusion that although any Legal decision can be both ethical as well as unethical, but any unethical decision can never be legal and vice versa. This makes determination of ethical nature of action important for law to term it legal.

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Thanks dear student.. Hope this helps you.

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