Defining Ethics

Abstract

A question on "ethical" conflict is answered. The classic definition of an ethical conflict is when a person -- or an institution acting as a moral agent -- is considering violating a moral principle or rule such as "do not deceive" or "do not deprive freedom." A healthcare ethics conflict, by its nature, is a situation that seems to elude obvious resolution, that is, one's moral intuition. Because moral principles are general, various professional organizations, including those of healthcare executives, physicians and nurses, have developed more specific ethical standards to guide the behavior of members of their particular profession. Such specific ethics guidelines are frequently referred to as professional ethics. Therefore, ethical conflicts can result from conflicts between or uncertainty about the general moral standards as well as the more specific professional ethics.