Examples of Ethics (Meaning and Explanation)

We show you examples of ethics that will help you better understand what ethics is, how it is put into practice and its importance.

What are examples of ethics?

They are examples of ethics the values we practice in our daily livessuch as tolerance, commitment or honesty, and which are reflected in our actions and in the way we live and interact in society.

Ethics is important because it is a discipline that reflects on people's behavior. It does not focus on determining which action is good and which is bad, but rather seeks to understand what norms and beliefs support the meaning of people's actions, both good and bad. Therefore, ethics helps people reflect on how they conceive right or wrong, and allows them to evolve and modify old customs that are harmful to people.

Below are examples of ethics to better understand their importance in society:

1. Respect

Respect is the value of recognizing, accepting and valuing others as they are.

For example: a student who pays attention to a teacher who explains in class, even if the subject is not one of his favorites, is recognizing the value of the person who gives his time and knowledge.

2. Justice

Justice is the moral principle that guides all the virtues of the human being towards the common good and in an equal manner. Establishes a set of rules that regulate coexistence in a society.

For example: the laws of a community establish that if someone vandalizes the games in a public park they can be punished with a monetary fine and community work.

3. Honesty

Honesty is the value of demonstrating transparency and sincerity in a kind way.

For example: an appliance technician who is only dedicated to repairing and not selling equipment, informs his client that he must replace a very expensive part. However, he recommends that you buy a new computer instead of trying to repair it.

4. Freedom

Freedom is the quality of acting based on what one wants, guided by one's own reason, without the imposition of others and without altering or affecting the freedom of others.

For example: a journalist decides to publish opinion columns about political issues on a personal blog, because some well-known media outlets did not allow him to express his ideas.

5. Responsibility

Responsibility is the quality of fulfilling the commitments and objectives acquired, and is related to the ability to have self-control and determination.

For example: a high school student who attends class in addition to studying to take exams.

6. Tolerance

Tolerance is the quality of accepting the ideas or customs of others, even if they are different from one's own, as is the case with religion or political ideology.

For example: a fan of a football team who is respectful to those of other teams. Rivalry between football fans is common, but it should not be a reason for intolerance, insult or confrontation.

7. Empathy

Empathy is the quality of recognizing what another being feels and sharing their emotions, without making distinctions based on their species, gender, condition or beliefs.

For example: a person who identifies with other animal species and therefore decides to avoid consuming industrialized products that promote animal exploitation, because he recognizes that everyone has the same capacity to feel, both pain and pleasure.

8. Integrity

Integrity is the value of acting honestly and respectfully and, in addition, of having an upright record in which you have never committed immoral or dishonest acts.

For example: an area director who for several years demonstrated professionalism and confidence when handling sensitive data linked to the company and was appointed as vice president of the company.

9. Compassion

Compassion is the quality of recognizing the suffering of others, understanding it, and acting kindly on it. It involves putting aside selfishness and acting to contribute to the well-being of others.

For example: a person decides to help another person who lives homeless, offers them food and tries to talk to them to understand how they got into that situation. Then, look for an institution that provides support and assistance so that you can reintegrate into social life.

10. Equity

Equity is the quality of recognizing and meeting the needs of people who are disadvantaged, with the goal of leveling the playing field or achieving equality among others in their group.

For example: a school incorporates technology devices capable of translating in real time so that young people with visual and hearing disabilities can understand and be understood during classes.

11. Commitment

Commitment is the value of complying with an established obligation, as an agreement, which can be formal or verbal.

For example: a supplier who agrees to deliver a job within fifteen days of requesting the order has the commitment to comply in a timely manner. If you do not comply with the agreement, you must keep your client informed of possible eventualities that delay delivery. Lack of commitment may mean that the customer will not contact you or recommend you again.

12. Loyalty

Loyalty is the quality of being faithful to oneself, another person, a group or a cause, and is based on moral logic to justify that feeling of fidelity. It differs from fanaticism, which is an excessive and blind adoration of someone or something.

For example: a consumer who is loyal to a brand that offers quality products at a slightly higher price than the competition. However, if the quality of the product declines, the person will stop consuming that brand because it does not maintain the quality standard.

13. Equality

Equality is the value of recognizing that all people should enjoy the same rights, opportunities and freedoms.

For example: inclusive language aims at the equal and conscious use of words so as not to promote stereotypes or discriminatory discourse. Inclusive language has to do with the conscious choice of certain words, because it is not the same to say “the history of humanity” as “the history of man” to refer to the evolution of the human species.

14. Solidarity

Solidarity is the quality of collaborating with other people to assist and help others who need it.

For example: a person who promotes a solidarity action through social networks to donate non-perishable food, clothing and furniture for several families who lost almost everything they had in their home due to a flood.

15. Altruism

Altruism is the quality of being generous, even if that means giving up some personal interest, with the aim of achieving a greater benefit or showing solidarity with others.

For example: a person who teaches low-income families living in vulnerable areas how to create and maintain their own garden. This person offers the inputs, the tools, their time and their knowledge to instruct people on how to generate their own quality food and give them tools that allow them to escape the situation of malnutrition.

16. Kindness

Kindness is the natural quality of being benevolent, and it has to do with doing good to the environment and other people.

For example: a person who, when walking on public roads, collects the waste he finds thrown by other people and deposits it in trash cans.

17. Generosity

Generosity is the quality of acting selflessly towards others, without expecting a reward or payment in return. It consists of being compassionate and sharing what one has, to assist others.

18. Humility

Humility is the courage to accept and recognize our own limitations and weaknesses, not just our attributes and gifts.

For example: the marketing director of a company received a distinction for her performance. In gratitude, he highlighted and praised the work done by each of the members of his team who made it possible to meet the goals.

19. Temperance

Temperance is the quality of moderating our actions, in a balanced way and without excesses. It has to do with the ability to maintain self-control and know how to determine what is good or bad.

For example: a person who works as a bank manager receives an alert about an alleged criminal attack on the computer system. The first thing you do is stay calm and follow the safety protocol.

20. Frankness

Candor is the quality of telling the truth and is typical of people who act sincerely and loyally in all aspects of their life, both personally and in work relationships.

For example: a person who admits to his friends that he does not feel like meeting on the day that the majority proposed, because he feels tired and that he agrees that the rest meet up anyway.

Types of ethics

Ethics is divided into different branches according to its object of study and among the main ones the following stand out:

Metaethics. It studies the language that expresses ideas, that is, the language that philosophers use to talk about morality, meanings and their interrelationships in theoretical language.
Normative ethics. Study the norms and principles that regulate human behavior.
Applied ethics. Study the application of ethics in specific fields, such as in the business, government, medicinal environment, among others.

References

Azcarate, DP (1942). Moral; the great morality; morals to Eudemus. Austral Collection. Espasa-calpe SA
Smith, Prudence. World Health Organization (09/29/2016). Press release: Geneva. Negative attitudes about aging and discrimination against older people can affect your health. https://www.who.int/
BBVA social, quality education (05/11/2021). Eight practical examples of how to apply inclusive language when speaking or writing. https://www.bbva.com/
Coa, JA (04/10/2018). Fans over consumers: brand loyalty at its finest. https://www.linkedin.com/