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Everyday ethics
Military commanders, law and policy makers, medical staff and judges, they can all expect to face tough ethical challenges. But it is not because our actions, as ordinary folk, are often less far-reaching, that we are not burdened with difficult ethical decisions
When you go out for a meal, and eventually the bill comes, what is the right amount to tip? You might live in a country where service is included, and not have to worry about it — leaving nothing is fine… or is it? Do you not, even then, have a moral obligation to leave a tip to show your appreciation? But if service is not included, because the servers’ pay takes into account what they typically collect in tips, how much should you add to the bill? Sometimes, enlightenment can come by way of a helpful indication on the menu, “ service charge of 10% not included”, or an “ optional service charge “ is explicitly listed on the bill. Perhaps you just happen to know that the custom in the country is to add 15%. If you are in the dark, though, you have to work it out for yourself, and determine an amount that is not unethically low, nor ridiculously high.
Ethical reasoning is very hard without some kind of touchstone. Ethics is a human construct: there is no…
