The Role Of Ethics In Science And Medicine, Business And Trade

Role of ethics
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Role of ethics
Ethics is a relevant issue in daily life activities since it governs the manner in which people conduct their activities. The individuals working in each field have to apply the kind of ethics relevant in that field so that decisions can be made appropriately. Moreover, fields such as science and their disciplines also have the same ethics but with a little distinction. The difference in the two may be as a result of the relationship between the discipline and the aspect involved. Accordingly, related disciplines have more similarities when applying ethics. For instance, business and trade are almost identical in the manner which operations are carried out. This is evidenced by the way in which ethics is applied to both disciplines. In turn, ethics results in setting standards for the society and determining diversity. It also results in thriving of the sectors where it is applied. Moreover, ethics helps to shape policies which are determined by scientific research and thus, it is essential in creating boundaries for researchers. It is the relevance of ethics in all fields that make it important to study and ultimately be incorporated into the fields. This paper explains with examples the role of ethics in science and medicine, business and trade, and the relationship between the individual and the society.
Science and Medicine
Science presents knowledge about the universe in an organized manner such that it can be tested and predicted. As such, it is associated with facts which have been researched on and ultimately proved. It has subdivisions which include; natural science, social science, formal science and applied science. Despite the fact that these subdivisions deal with different aspects, they all hold the same perspective as science (Zaidi, 2014). Accordingly, science is objective and deals with facts that have evidence. On the other hand, ethics is subjective in nature given that it relies on the feelings of persons involved. This implies that individuals can manipulate situations according to their morals to suit the occasion. These differences between science and ethics imply that the two are opposites. However, science cannot effectively achieve its purpose without ethics being involved. This serves to show that the two are interrelated. For instance; it is a fact that undertaking scientifically research on primates inflicts suffering upon the same primates. This fact can be proved by empirical research conducted within a population of primates that have been previously subjected to scientific research. In this regard, there may be findings such as statistical data proving the death of 20 primates annually within the said population.
The findings, as well as consequent opinions held by people, depend on the facts involved. As such, individuals may find themselves taking the opposite side of facts given that each individual is entitled to their opinions. These diverse opinions are bound to vary from individual to another depending on the morals of the persons involved. Given the instance above, one individual may decide that scientific research is wrong irrespective of the situation while another decides that scientific research is acceptable in certain situations only. Both of these individuals may try to convince each other that their respective positions are correct with regards to the available facts. This example serves to show that ethics plays a role in science. Additionally, as science progresses, there is a need for ethics to keep the progress in check. This is attributed to the fact that some scientists may use science to advocate for their personal values, some of which may be inappropriate. In this regard, ethics would be essential in establishing an individual’s distinction between their scientific research profession and their role as a citizen. Moreover, given that the results of science are relevant in shaping policies within a society, ethics has to be incorporated so that the policies designed favor everyone within the society. Consequently, ethics is relevant in establishing boundaries within science.
Medicine is a discipline of science whose characteristics are equally the same as that of science. It has four principles which include; autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. These four values are of equal value. As such, they all have to be observed in order for a medical practice to be considered as ethical. According to the principle of autonomy, patients have the final decision over their own bodies. This means that a medical professional cannot deny or impose treatment on them if it is against their wish. As such, the physician can only provide relevant information to the patients and allow them to make the ultimate decision. Beneficence is designed to ensure that physicians improve the health of their patients to the highest level they can manage. In turn, the medical professionals are required to be fully aware of the patient’s condition so as to relevantly manage the pain or suffering involved. Nonmaleficence requires healthcare providers to take into consideration unintentional harm that may result to patients from the physicians’ good intentions. Each treatment decision made should be appropriately evaluated to determine its risks and benefits. The principle of justice dictates that medical professionals should ensure fairness in their dispensation of treatment and relevant resources. Particularly, time resource has to be adequately distributed among all patients so that each receives quality care. For instance; patients who suffer from chronic diseases need to be allocated more time with physicians compared to those who do not have a chronic illness. This would be fair since patients who have serious conditions are allowed more treatment time.
Ethics in medicine is concerned with the moral principles which guide the practice of clinical medicine and relevant scientific research. For instance; the issue of Euthanasia is one which requires ethics in the field of medicine. Take an example of a young lady who has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The lady becomes depressed and is overwhelmed by the symptoms which have kept her bedridden. Given the advanced nature of her cancer, this lady knows she is slowly dying. As such, she makes a decision to save her family of the agony of incurring high medical bills and ultimately losing her. In response to this decision, she tells her physicians to consider her suffering and take away her life through “mercy killing” or euthanasia. The doctor may agree to the idea or reject it depending on their personal moral principles even if euthanasia is legal in that specific country. The decision made by the physician, in this case, would affect their professional and personal image despite the fact that it was the patient’s decision. Moreover, this issue brings about the question of whether or not “doctor-assisted suicide” is accepted (Davis & Kodish, 2014). There are people who support the idea in certain situations such as when a stage 4 cancer victim is involved and there are people who are completely against the idea irrespective of the situation. However, the guidelines provided by medical ethics would guide the physician in making a better decision that is in accordance with their morals.
Accordingly, the role of ethics in medicine is to guarantee quality and principal care to all involved patients. This role is ensured under the branch if medical ethics. Medical professionals such as nurses are required to conduct their work ethically since they bear the responsibility to; patients, colleagues, society, and self. In order to achieve the objectives of medical ethics, medical professionals are required to portray competency when offering medical care. In turn, this helps to uphold the dignity and human rights of their patients. Ethics also ensures that the interest of patients is well protected as required by law. Accordingly, it requires that medical professionals should safeguard the secrets of the patients and hence, maintain their privacy. Physicians have to interact with other people in a professional manner and exhibit honesty in their operations. This aspect makes it unethical for a medical professional to engage in fraud and deception. Additionally, medical caregivers should ensure that they constantly improve their knowledge and skills so that they can fit in the dynamic medical field. Improving their knowledge would enable the physicians to be of benefit to their colleagues in the profession as well as to the patients. By observing these standards responsibly, medical professionals will ensure that they are acting ethically.
Business and Trade
Trade refers to the exchange of goods or service for money, from one person or entity to another. Trade takes place within a community, in a country and even globally. As such, it is important for the business community to consider the extensive implications of their business operations. This would help ensure they are operating within the set standards as well as for the benefit of all involved stakeholders (Farrell & Fraedrich, 2015). The individuals and businesses engaging in trade within a society may decide to set up a charity organization. Each trader who is a stakeholder in the charity organization may be required to donate some funds periodically to the organization. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the charity organization may be to help the local community overcome poverty by improving the literacy levels. Entities and individuals who may not contribute money would be required to offer their knowledge and skills to help achieve the common goal. Consequently, this example shows how trade can involve ethics and ensure giving back to the society. Another example could involve trading partners who come together to form a body which oversees their activities. Such a body should have a code of ethics to govern trade operations within the specified jurisdiction. In turn, it can help to achieve better standards of production and high-quality output of products traded within the jurisdiction. As long as the code of ethics is adhered to, the traders will act responsibly for the benefit of all involved stakeholders. These examples show the relevance of ethics in trade.
A business involves trade which is carried out by a specific entity which could be owned by the state of private individuals. Organizations engage in business activities that could either be commercial, industrial or professional. In the process of operation, stakeholders in the business need to make decisions. The decisions may concern operations within the business or outside the environment of the firm. However, the decisions made relating to either environment have extensive implications on the current and future operations of the business. As such, it is essential to incorporate ethics in business so as to ensure better decisions are ac...