The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University has developed a new structured approach to analyzing and making ethical decisions. This guide addresses ethics in personal, organizational, and societal contexts. Contributors, including Manuel Velasquez and Dennis Moberg, discuss how ethics goes beyond individual actions to creating ethical communities, businesses, and governments.

They emphasize that ethics involves standards and practices guiding human behavior in various roles, such as friends, family members, professionals, or citizens. This broad approach highlights the universality of ethical principles while recognizing the unique challenges of different social roles. Including character as a fundamental component of ethics is particularly insightful, underscoring that ethical behavior is about following rules and nurturing traits that promote ethical actions.

This new collaborative development involves dialogue and debate, reflecting ethics’ dynamic and evolving nature. It’s important to note that the framework was last revised in 2021, showing a commitment to keeping ethical discussions relevant to contemporary issues.

In my opinion, this development is valuable for individuals and organizations seeking to comprehend and apply ethical principles across diverse domains. It offers a structured yet flexible ethical approach, empowering users to tailor it to their contexts. By fostering ethical awareness and action, this framework significantly contributes to the goal of creating more ethical societies.

References

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. (2021). *A framework for thinking ethically*. Santa Clara University.