tayrup70 asked this question on 4/11/2000:

with all this talk about ethics I was wondering what your definition was and how you veiw ethics.

drkathy gave this response on 4/13/2000:

What a good question. We can start by looking at the stages of moral development (these are roughly Kholberg's and are based on only boys; Carol Gilligan has slightly different stages based on studies of girls):

1. What is punished is bad;What is rewarded is good. Others control the rules about "good & bad." 2. Fair deals. One's needs are the most important. 3. Golden Rule stage. Morality is based on intentions rather than outcome. 4. Commitment to the greater society. Rules and social contracts maintain social order. 5. Laws are for the greatest good for the greatest number of people. 6. Self-chosen universal ethical principals of fairness and justice. (Kholberg says most of us never reach this stage).

Ethics for each person, then, may depend on the stage where they are. There is a code of ethics that says "do no harm."

I think ethics means trying to do the best you can to be helpful to others (this is where Carol Gilligan differs from Kholberg), true to yourself, and a productive part of society, and leave the world a little better than it was when you entered it. What do you think? Kathy

The average rating for this answer is 3.9.

tayrup70 rated this answer a 4.

I think I like your answer more then most, alot of people got strangely defensive about this question. I would have given you a five.But your answer was a liitle too wordy for liitle old me,afterall I'm no expert.