Perenially slippery, the word “ethics” first and foremost suggests “good behavior.” But a system of ethics can be good or bad, depending on the values behind them. A company can focus on infant health or pushing opioids — the intent determines the ethos.
Friends sometimes get nervous when they hear I’m into ethics — try to be on their “best behavior” because they’re dealing with someone who knows the difference between right and wrong. I don’t!
I try to follow my own values and be true to my ethos, but I don’t get it right a lot of the time. Nor can I tell other people how to live their lives or what they should do.
The ethos that works for me is by definition different from the one that works for you. So I try to avoid judging you by my ethics because, unless I know you very well, I am clueless about the tools that you use to navigate your world, the experiences that have shaped your values, or the feelings behind your decisions.
Furthermore, a healthy body requires attention to physical sensation — smacking the mosquito. And while I can compassionately empathize with the itch of the bite, we each have our own central nervous system. A doctor can imagine but never experience the pain of the patient.
Thus, each of us develops an ethos from experience — it’s vital.
Similarly, organizations each have their own ethos. The set of ethics that a small business follows usually manifests the values and goals of the owners. For better or worse, ethics follow from intentions.
I recently went to a dermatology practice that reeked of profiteering, from a cheap online intake form that wouldn’t save my data, to the miserable physician’s assistant who first came into the exam room, to a billing system so convoluted that I ended up sending a physical check. I felt not like a patient but an instrument for collecting cash.
The “maximize ROI” values of the practice owners were evident everywhere, and I am lucky that there are alternatives.
My doctor, on the other hand, and the practice she works with are consistenty available, capable, friendly, and effective. They have an ethos based in values of helping people for a reasonable return on investment, and it shows in their behavior.
In sum, your ethos is based on your values — the things you care about. I would argue that caring about people and their well-being is a “good” value, and using people to enrich yourself is a “bad” one. Others will disagree.
Click to learn more about Practical Ethics.
*Please note that there’s a break in the newsletter schedule next week: look for issue 1-5 on September 4.
Good and Evil – Newsletter 1-4
