Ethics are the habits and practices that govern our lives, guide our companies, and cement our relationships. When those habits are informed, deliberate, and shared, they help us to manifest our best selves, make our best products, and bring joy to loved ones.
Decisions informed by the senses, by emotion and history, circumstances and relationships, in addition to needs, ambitions and data. Deliberate as opposed to impulsive — allowing yourself time to discern the right thing. Shared with trusted cofidantes and teammates because few of us want to survive totally alone.
Those that do often want to get off the grid, away from the greed and selfishness of capitalism. Many seek a more natural and humanistic moral philosophy, away from screens screaming “buy!” Humanistic systems of ethics often exist in direct opposition to profitability, and rightfully so: for-profit health care is an unmitigated disaster.
One way or another, each of us builds and repeats our own unique set of ethics. Once established, they become routine and we practice them without thinking, like a morning routine or riding a bike. They manifest in behaviors — most of which are subconscious. The set of rules each of us lives by… automatically.
Shared values, from family norms to corporate quality standards and federal law, make it possible to live in peace. Digressions degrade the group, products (think Boeing, Boar’s Head and SCOTUS).
Consequences accumulate over a lifetime. Many decisions become internalized and repeat automatically — they are subsumed. Therefore, long-term well-being requires thoughtful, deliberate decisions. MyEthics.net is here to help.
This principle applies to technology and algorithms as well, and the role we assign them in our lives.