Understanding Social Ethics: Virtue, Duty, Justice, and Law
Social Ethics
Ethical Training
Aristotle argues that knowing what is right is intertwined with knowing how to do it. The secret to reinforcing ethical behavior is repetition. Through the actions we perform, we cultivate a way of being responsible. No one is born responsible or irresponsible. When we acquire good habits in ethics, they are called virtues. When they are not, they are called vices.
Virtue
Virtue means strength (from the Latin). Sometimes humans lack this capacity. One dimension of strength is consistency, which is to act as you think.
Prudence
Prudence consists of taking the appropriate steps to achieve what I have not yet achieved.
Duty
Duty is an obligation imposed on us by our human condition, as social beings by nature. As people, we all have duties. We have three fundamental rights:
- Right to life: We must respect the right to life.
- Right to property: We must respect the property of others (not steal).
- Right to freedom: We must respect the freedom of others.
Simple reasoning tells us that what is good for us should be good for others.
Dealing with Lawbreakers
What about those who do not comply with the law?
- Someone who robs, kills, or abuses never ceases to be a person, so they can become a suitable member of society again.
- An essential characteristic of human beings is the capacity for imitation, which is why we are capable of guilt. Putting ourselves in the place of another means experiencing empathy. Do not confuse empathy with reason.
Justice and Law
Why is there “yours” or “mine”? Because the holder is entitled to it. Therefore, there would be no justice without law, which is to give everyone their due. Only a person can assert their own rights and therefore can claim them. When I perform an action, I must respect the rights of others. Justice can only be associated with observable facts and cannot depend on personal opinions. Justice and subjectivity are inseparable concepts.
Three Obligations of Public Speaking
- Obligations between individuals (commutative justice): Compliance through restoration, which is the return of what belongs to each person.
- Obligations of the partnership with the individual (distributive justice): Distributing benefits and burdens among members of society. This is the responsibility of governors and legislators, who should guarantee life, liberty, and security. This includes equality before the law, education, leisure, healthcare, housing, and social services, so that society’s distribution is fair.
- Obligations of the individual to society: The state needs an authority to be responsible for enforcing the law (lawyers, judges, police) in an objective and impartial manner.
Law
Law is a rational management of society.
- Natural law corresponds to the rights we have by nature. It is common to all mankind.
- Positive law is a set of rules designed to preserve natural law.
The Common Good
We must all engage in employment to achieve a just society. This is what is called the common good: a set of conditions that guarantee the development of individuals in society. Hence, the common good cannot oppose individual interests. If we recognize that human beings cannot develop from selfishness, we participate in two areas where the potential role of each is important, not forgetting that humans are social beings.