Living an Ethical Life

Writing in Business Week, Dr. Bruce Weinstein gives some basic rules for living an ethical life:

• Do no harm
• Make things better
• Respect others
• Be fair
• Be compassionate

It is not a bad list at all and yet in practice it quickly moves into deep water. Unless the nitty gritty of ethical decision making is explored (and, in fairness to Dr. Weinstein, space limitations probably kept him from doing so in his column), stating general principles becomes little more than an admonition to “Be good.”

For example, “Do no harm” is not all that easy. If a friend asks you for your opinion about a dress that she just designed and of which she is obviously proud, do you always tell the truth? Being candid may hurt her feelings but not leveling with her may set her up for humiliation when she encounters a larger and less sensitive audience. "Do no harm" collides with "Be compassionate."

The real challenge in ethical behavior is not when the choice is Right versus Wrong, but when the choice is Right versus Right. If your choice, as ethicist Michael Josephson notes, is to advance another ethical principle and such actions would be good if universally adopted and fare well over the long term, then most likely you are in safe territory.

Ethical behavior requires the ability and willingness to see the ethical dimensions of decisions and the courage to make the tough choices.