Social ethics: components, characteristics and examples

An overview of social ethics, a concept used in social sciences and philosophy.

Human beings live in a society, whether we like it or not. We interact with other people, either directly or indirectly, and our actions can have repercussions on a social level, which is why not everything is permitted and we must think very carefully before we act.

The idea of social ethics is somewhat complexBut in broad terms it refers to the values that we have as people in society as a whole so that our conduct does not cause harm but our rights continue to be respected. Let us see more in depth this complex concept, in addition to seeing its components and some examples.

What is social ethics?

Social ethics is a concept that deals with the moral conduct of individuals as well as their collective reality and the combination of their individualities. It deals with all the norms of behavior behavioral norms that people have in order to coexist peacefully with others, respecting their own and others' physical and moral integrity..

In other words, it is about those socially desirable behaviors that should be carried out in a society in order to make it a good space for coexistence in which to live.

The idea of social ethics is complex, since it involves establishing what are the appropriate actions and behaviors that all people should carry out or avoid doing within a given society.. Although it is legitimate for everyone to think of their own good, it is necessary to have empathy and respect for others, since otherwise everyone would think selfishly, behaving with too much freedom. One's excessive freedom can be another's prison.

Although the idea of social ethics starts from the fundamental principle of respecting the rights of others so that one's own rights may be respected, it should be noted that everyone has a different understanding of what is socially appropriate.. Thus, social ethics can vary, since they vary according to the ability of people in a society to see the extent to which their actions have social consequences.

For example, the idea of recycling is nowadays a social-ethical obligation, since it implies respecting the environment so that future generations can live on a non-polluted planet. However, in previous decades, people were not aware of this, so they did not reduce their consumption of plastics or reduce carbon emissions. Although they did not know the damage they were doing, their actions had social repercussions that will condition humanity's standard of living in the future.

Components of social ethics

According to the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegelsocial ethics is made up of three components: the family, society and the State.

The family

The family is the first human group with which we come into contact, and it is through it that we It is through the family that we acquire different types of values, including social values.among them those of a social nature.

It is within the family where norms are instilled that regulate the behavior of its members, both with the rest of the family and with the community. It is a fundamental environment where values such as not hurting others, respecting other people's opinions, respecting other people's property, sharing... are learned.

Clearly each family has its own educational style and, therefore, their idea of what is socially ethical varies. It is according to these differences that will condition its members to adapt and be more easily respectful of the ethical norms of society.

Society

Society is the human group, macroscopic in size, which is responsible for creating the norms and laws that support what is considered socially ethical. That is to say, the society of each region, country or culture of the world is in charge of deciding what is considered socially acceptable behavior and what is not..

This may depend on various aspects such as culture, religion, historical context and past events. For example, what was socially ethical in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century was very different from today if we talk, for example, about respecting people regardless of their race.

The State

The State is responsible for implementing and enforcing the social ethics shared by the majority of a society.. Although not all social norms have to be typified in the penal code, many of them, such as respect for life by penalizing murder or the defense of private property by punishing theft, have laws with an ethical basis.

It is thanks to the State that it is possible to protect individuals as a whole, preventing everyone from doing whatever they want without questioning the ethics of their actions. In other words, it is through the application of justice that social ethics is protected and enforced, offering rights and imposing obligations on all individuals in society.

Characteristics of social ethics

Among the main characteristics of social ethics are the following.

1. It regulates human behavior

Social ethics, whether imposed by means of state laws or accepted by society as a whole in the form of socially imposed norms, regulates human behavior.

It implies all the do's and don'ts for a good coexistence, which makes people behave as follows This makes people behave in the way society requires us to behave..

2. Creates universal principles

Socially ethical norms become universal principles, with a reduced degree of flexibility and very difficult to break, given their social and penal consequences.

While breaking a universal principle is not breaking a universal principle is not synonymous with committing a crime, doing so may put the individual in a very bad light in the eyes of the rest of society.However, doing so can put the individual in a very bad position in the eyes of the rest of society, and he or she may lose impact or see his or her status in society endangered.

An example of a universal principle whose violation does not imply legal consequences is that of greeting. Although trivial, not greeting other people can be seen as an antisocial act that, although it has no legal implications, can cause the rejection of the rest of society towards the individual who does not follow the universal principle.

A clear example of a socially ethical principle that, if broken, involves legal action is the no-killing principle.. It is universal to the extent that it is accepted by the majority of individuals in a society and shared from culture to culture. Not respecting it implies not only the rejection of society, but also the application of legal penalties.

3. It is the putting into practice of values

Each person has certain values, which depend on the family and society in which he/she lives. Actions in favor of social benefit from an ethical-social point of view are, in essence, the implementation of these values..

For example, if we have the value of not harming others, we can put it into practice not only by respecting the lives of others, but also by helping them and doing our utmost to benefit others.

4. Coercion is not accepted

The idea of social ethics states that pro-social actions must be done voluntarily.. That is to say, no one should be forced to perform actions beneficial to others, but should come from within: he or she should be the one who has the will and initiative to help the most disadvantaged, get involved in social causes, contribute to the progress of society...

Universal ethical-social principles

Although each culture is different, it is true that many ethical and social principles are universal. Below we will see a few that are either only socially accepted or, in addition, have laws that regulate them.

1. Respect and care for nature

Nature must be respected and conserved so that all human beings can continue to live healthily..

If we exploit animal and plant species in an abusive manner and do not protect the environment, we run the risk of it being depleted, causing food shortages and social problems such as poverty, ethnic conflicts and wars for the control of resources.

Although many states have laws that prohibit polluting or exploiting certain animal and plant resources, the truth is that this principle is not as universal as others.

2. Be kind and generous to others.

Being kind to others is a universal principle that, while not penalized, is considered a prosocial behavior necessary to be considered a well-adjusted individual in society. is considered a necessary prosocial behavior to be considered a well-adjusted individual in society..

• You may be interested in, "What is prosocial behavior and how does it develop?"

3. Respect for institutions and the law in force

Although this principle may be controversial, given the fact that the existing legality of a state does not necessarily have to be socially just, but it is true that respect for the institutions and the law of a state is not necessarily socially just.It is true that respect for the law is a universal principle.

It is so because if the laws were not complied with, everyone could do as they pleased, and in many of these laws there are social-ethical values that, although desirable, are only respected when there is a law that prohibits behavior that transgresses that value.

4. Respecting the rights of others

Based on the principle that if we want to be respected we must respect others. We all have rights and obligations and, in the event that someone does not respect us, most states have laws to ensure that he or she is punished accordingly.

5. Respect freedom of thought

No one is the same and, much less, thinks the same way. Everyone has had experiences that influence the way they perceive the world, so each person has his or her own way of thinking.

Freedom of thought is considered a universal principleFreedom of thought is considered a universal principle, at least in Western countries, since not respecting it is considered, in most cases, a violation of human rights.

However, this principle has its limits, since if the opinion implies intolerance or harm to other people, two other principles are being violated, namely, that of being tolerant of human diversity and that of not harming others.

6. Do not steal or murder

Although these are two different principles, they have in common the fact that most countries view theft as a form of violence. most countries view theft and murder as crimes.. From this it can be deduced that the principles of respecting the property of others and the lives of others are universally recognized social-ethical values, and that breaking them entails serious legal sanctions.

Bibliographical references.

• Roldán, A.F., (2006), What do we understand by social ethics? Dos visiones sobre el tema.Teología y cultura, año 3, vol. 5.
• Ulman, Y. (2015). Social Ethics. In: Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics, pp.1-11 DOI 10.1007/978-3-3-319-05544-2_395-1.