Determinants of Ethics in Human Actions
Introduction:
Ethical evaluation of human conduct depends on certain determinants that influence whether an act is considered moral or immoral. Ethics analyses these determinants to assess the rightness or wrongness of an action.
1. Deliberate Human Action
- Ethics concerns voluntary and conscious human acts, not instinctive or coerced ones.
It requires:
- Knowledge of the act and its consequences
- Free will or choice
- Voluntariness (absence of external compulsion)
Example:
A doctor administering a wrong medicine knowingly acts unethically; but if it was unknowingly due to wrong labeling, it is not unethical.
2. Purpose / Intention
- Every ethical act is guided by a motive or purpose, which may be:
- Personal:
- Self-interest or gain
- Social: Public welfare
- Organisational: Following duty or institutional objective
Example:
A civil servant transferring a corrupt subordinate to protect institutional integrity shows ethical purpose.
3. Object / Nature of Action
- The object refers to what is actually done — the act itself.
It can be:
- Positive: Charity, honesty, truth
- Negative: Theft, corruption, violence
- Neutral: Sitting, walking, etc. (ethical or unethical depending on context)
4. Circumstances
- Circumstances surrounding the act may increase or lessen the moral responsibility of the doer.
They can be:
- Demanding or extreme: e.g., stealing food during famine
- Normal: e.g., stealing from public funds
Example:
A hungry person stealing food to survive may be judged differently from an official stealing PDS grain.
5. Consequences / End (Teleology)
- The ethical worth of an action is sometimes judged by its outcome or result — this is the teleological approach.
- An act is moral if it leads to good results or maximizes welfare.
Example:
A whistle-blower revealing corruption — though causing embarrassment — leads to institutional integrity.
6. Means (Deontology)
- Ethics may also be judged by the rightness of means used, irrespective of the end result — this is the deontological perspective.
- “Ends do not justify the means.”
Example:
Killing a beggar to save a king cannot be justified — good end, unethical means.
Interrelation of Determinants
| Relation Type | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Overlap | Compassionate officer helping poor (purpose, object, consequence all ethical) | Multiple determinants act together |
| Variation | Theft for hunger vs. theft from PDS | Purpose and circumstance vary ethical judgement |
| Contradiction | Saving a king (good purpose) by killing a beggar (unethical means) | Purpose conflicts with means |
Conclusion
Ethical judgment is rarely one-dimensional. A morally right action is determined by the harmony among intention, means, circumstances, and consequences. True ethics requires both a good purpose and means, guided by rational and compassionate deliberation.