Ethics and Kant's Categorical Imperative

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Define and discuss the term "ethics" from your own perspective

In my opinion, ethics represents the pursuit of equal, fair, and just actions that are honest, reliant upon integrity, and displays moral fortitude that can elicit the most ethical behavior possible. Therefore, in my viewpoint ethical behavior entails the use of equal justice in the criminal justice system wherein the system doesn't arbitrarily target minority races, doesn't engage in racial profiling, or doesn't sentence minority offenders for nonviolent offenses at rates that are 10 times more than their white counterparts. Ethics is actually engaging in justice for all as opposed to justice for those who can afford this justice. The use of current criminal justice programs that exist in the American system are not representative of an ethical system but more so of an unethical and unconstitutional system that relies upon discrimination and a continuation of policies that target marginalized populations.

The codes that define ethical behavior differ from culture to culture and different societies will view ethical behavior under different principles and values, which is also the case for different human beings. Nevertheless, the culture that ethics emanates should be the barometer for what is considered just behavior or wrong behavior, and this is used to guide decisions made within society. The objective should be predicated upon ensuring that society's behavior is governed by ethical behavior wherein all professions exhibit ethical behavior that is conducive to ensuring that every individual is treated equally within society. Therefore, ethics is as instrumental to society as any law or other vital service that exists in society. Without ethics, society could not exist, which is why societies develop ethical guidelines both written and unwritten that citizens within any society follow.

These principles are responsible for guiding the behavior of organizations, professions, citizens, etc. There should be ethical behavior in criminal justice systems, courts, police organizations, by prosecutors and lawyers, and all facets of the justice system should adhere the to the highest ethical standards. The societal ethical paradigm will dictate whether citizens and entities within any society are able to uphold their obligations to society by guiding the choices and serve as the moral compass for how decisions are made throughout society.

Corporate ethics, legal ethics, professional ethics, individual ethics, and all types ...