INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS

Ethics is one of the words that feature in our everyday talk. We do often condemn certain acts as unethical and praise others as ethically commendable. But if one asked what ethics means to us, we might not be well positioned to give a precise answer. Despite the fact that we always make ethical judgement, we may not even be in position to lay down our criteria for such judgement. At times we condemn certain forms of behaviour simply because they are not acceptable in our societies. Beyond that we may have no other reason whether for the goodness or for the badness of those acts. But none of us can dispute the significance of ethics in society. It is for the above reasons that we as students of social development and counselling need to distinctly know what ethics means; what we should base on in making ethical judgement; and how to reason about ethical issues. It is that task that this course unit embraces.