44What Is Ethics?pulled the defecti

44
What Is Ethics?
pulled the defective Tylenol from the shelves. If neither I nor anyone else I
knew used Tylenol, then whether or not Johnson and Johnson recalled the
product really didn’t affect me. Therefore, that action was neither good nor
bad for me. From a detached, objective point of view, however, I can see that
it was a good thing to do, because removing the defective product from the
shelves prevented harm to those who might have used it. Simply, if a good
reason for doing an action is that it benefits me, then that’s true for everyone,
so the more people benefited the better. Of course, when the action benefits
society but harms me, there is a problem, but we will return to that shortly.
Is the a ction f air or j ust?
A third question to ask is whether or not the action is fair. When you were a
child, your mother probably served you a piece of cake numerous times. But
suppose you had a brother and sister and your mother gave all of you pieces
of cake, but the one she gave you was bigger than the pieces she gave your
siblings. Wouldn’t you think (even though you might be afraid to admit it)
that she was being unfair?
The principle of justice, which all of us recognize, is that the same (equals)
should be treated the same (equally). There is often disagreement about who
and what are equal, but unless there is some relevant difference, all persons
should be treated equally. Therefore if there is no relevant difference between
you and your siblings, you should all receive roughly the same size piece of
cake. If it is your sister ’s birthday, however, you are not equal in all relevant
respects; her birthday creates a good reason for her to get a larger piece.
This notion of fairness gives rise to another reason for or against a course
of action: entitlement. To be entitled to something means that the person has
a right to it and that the person’s rights should be respected. We turn now to
the next question.
Does the a ction violate a nyone’s rights?
To the extent that all humans are equal, they are
entitled
to be treated in a
certain way. The principle of equal justice gives us a right to be treated equally.
A word about rights (entitlements): There are two kinds of rights – negative
and positive. Negative rights are rights to things that no one has to provide for
us, that we already have, and that are to be respected and not taken away, such
as a right to life, a right to liberty, and, some would argue, a right to property.
Take the right to liberty: If we are equal to others, by what right can they
restrict our liberty? Why is their liberty more important than ours? The right
to liberty is essential in a free market system because free exchange is key to