Chapter 4 Ethics Morality And Leadership Flashcards
What situations normally involve ethical issues?
Use of discretion, force, deceptive practices, assurance of rights to due process, and loyalty to peers.
Define ethics
The study of the principles of good conduct and systems of moral values. Ethical behavior relates to conduct that conforms to accepted principles of morality and good conduct.
What is ethos
Virtuousness of character
The study of ethics is difficult because,
They are not based on universal agreements.
What is the difference between meta ethics and normative ethics?
Meta ethics attempts to discover the reasons for making amoral judgement about life; sometimes referred to as absolutism.
Normative ethics considers more concrete questions like what acts are morally right or morally wrong.
What are the two approaches involved in normative ethics and define them
Deontological ethics: duty driven, means though which one acts count more than ends. Sometimes refereed to as nonconsequentialist. Do not consider consequences
Deontological theories are divided into act and rule-based theories
Act theories focus on the morality of an action. Rule based theories address ethical decisions on the basis of rules promulgated to prescribe correct behavior.
What three strands is rule based deontologism broken down into?
Kantianism- one must act to treat self and others as a means to an end
, divine command theory — persons actions are morally correct if they conform to the commandments or teachings of a religious persons diety
and golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
For an overview of major theories of ethics see page 62
Yup
What are the principles of ethics
Nonmaleficence, beneficent, fidelity, veracity, justice, reparation, gratitude, confidentiality.
What are virtues?
Tend to govern personal and social lives. Virtues form a foundation for morality
What virtues create a foundation for morality?
Prudence, justice, courage, self-restraint
What is the difference between virtue and ethics
Virtue refers to who a person is while ethics refers to what a person does.
What is the difference between ethics and morality
Morality is a subset of ethics. Ethics may focus on an individual’s sense of self and place in a society while morality focuses on the universal, inviolable rules in any society.
What is the name of a group of people that do not believe in the idea of universal moral principles and what do they argue?
Relativists. They argue that morality is relative to a culture or society.
What is the noble cause when talking a bout ethics and choice?
The noble cause is a commitment to do something to prevent illegal human behavior and apprehend criminal offenders.
What is a moral dilemma
When a police officer is in a situation from which the officer cannot emerge innocent, no matter what the officer does.
T of F: officers have a legal as well as moral obligation to act legally, responsibly, and ethically.
True
Why are department’s codes of ethics and condes of conduct statements important?
Significantly vulnerable people place their fragile trust in a police officer’s hands. The codes provide the public with some reasonable assurance that the trust will not be exploited or betrayed.
What are the central themes in the law enforcement code of ethics?
Justice, fairness, equality, service to community, supremacy of the constitution and the law, maintenance of a standard of conduct that is consistent with a police officers public position
What is utilitarianism in ethics policing?
It states that people and societies should strive to create the greatest good for the greatest number of people. The ends justify the means type of mentality.
What is the opposite of utilitarianism?
Altruism
Define altruism
Opposite than utilitarianism and suggests that actions should be based on concern for the best interest of others. Officers behavior is opposite to self-interest.
