Professional Ethics and Values-Introduction

Professional Ethics and Values

1. Professional Ethics and Values Dr.S.Sangeetha Associate Professor/EEE Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology Coimbatore.

2. Human Values Basic human values refer to those values which are at the core of being human. The values which are considered basic inherent values in humans include truth, honesty, loyalty, love, peace, etc. They bring out the fundamental goodness of human beings and society at large.

3. Importance of Human Values Provides understanding of the attitudes, motivation and behaviours Influences our perception of the world around us Represents interpretation of “right and wrong” Provides a way to understand humans and organisation .

4. Human Values Right Conduct – Contains values like self-help skills (modesty, self-reliance, hygiene etc.), social skills (good behavior , good manners, environment awareness etc.), ethical skills (courage, efficiency, initiative, punctuality etc.) and Ownership . Peace – Contains values like equality, focus, humility, optimism, patience, self-confidence, self control , self-esteem etc . Truth – Contains values like accuracy, fairness, honesty, justice, quest for knowledge, determination etc . Peaceful co-existence – Contains values like psychological (benevolence, compassion, consideration, morality, forgiveness etc.) and social (brotherhood, equality, perseverance, respect for others, environmental awareness etc .) Discipline – Contains values like regulation, direction, order etc.

5. Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.”  – Albert Einstein. Value means worth . A value is a socially acceptable concept of what is important and to what degree. Values define how we treat others in any association. The effect of good values lasts lifelong in dealing with difficult or unfortunate or adverse situations that come along the way of life . A Moral is something we learn as a lesson from our actions. Values are different than morals since the former is the basis of any action and the latter the consequence of it. A moral is a message, while good practices cultivate a value.  If we take the example of the good old Aesop’s fable of the Hare and the Tortoise, the values we learn through these are determination, avoiding overconfidence, appreciating teamwork, etc. while the moral we have been learning is ‘slow and steady wins the race’.   

6. In kindergarten, our teachers, and parents did teach us the use of ‘golden words’ that are Thank you, Sorry and Excuse me. That was a step towards making us realize the value of our actions.  Values and Ethics are like our mother tongue—these don’t need to be separately taught. A child learns values and ethics as a part of his growth and development, in which its family, school, and neighbourhood play an important role. As children grow up, their peers, teachers, influence, and shape their values. In adulthood, people are inspired by workplace environments. 

7. Ethics and Values Ethics is a branch of philosophy that “involves systematising , defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behaviour . Ethics and Values together lay the foundation for sustainability. While they are sometimes used synonymously, they are different, wherein  ethics  are the set of rules that govern the behaviour of a person, established by a group or culture.  Values  refer to the beliefs for which a person has an enduring preference. Ethics and values are important in every aspect of life, when we have to make a choice between two things, wherein ethics determine what is right, values determine what is important.

8. BASIS FOR COMPARISON ETHICS VALUES Meaning Ethics refers to the guidelines for conduct, that address question about morality. Value is defined as the principles and ideals, that helps them in making judgement of what is more important. What are they? System of moral principles. Stimuli for thinking. Consistency Uniform Differs from person to person Tells What is morally correct or incorrect, in the given situation. What we want to do or achieve. Determines Extent of rightness or wrongness of our options. Level of importance. What it does? Constrains Motivates

9. Ethics Ethics is well-based standards that a person should do, concerning rights, obligations, fairness, benefits to society and so on. The standard puts a reasonable obligation to stop crime like stealing, assault, rape, murder, fraud and so on. Meta-ethics : Ethical philosophy that analyses the meaning and scope of moral values. Descriptive ethics : The branch of ethics that deals with psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. Normative Ethics : The study of the moral course of action through practical means. Applied ethics : This branch tells us how we can achieve moral outcomes, in a particular circumstance.

10. Inference While ethics are consistently applied over the period, and remains same for all the human beings. Values have an individualistic approach, i.e. it varies from person to person but remains stable, relatively unchanging, but they can be changed over time due to a significant emotional event.