1.4.4 The Competent Communicator Is Ethical

     Human communication also involves questions of ethics, the study of good and bad, of right and wrong, of moral and immoral. Ethics is concerned with actions, with behaviors; it’s concerned with distinguishing between behaviors that are moral (ethical, good, right) and those that are immoral (unethical, bad, and wrong). Not surprisingly, there’s an ethical dimension to any interpersonal communication act (Bok, 1978; Neher & Sandin, 2007).

Objective and Subjective Views of Ethics

     Woven through these discussions of ethics are two interrelated questions that will influence all your ethical decisions: (1) Are ethical principles objective or subjective? and (2) Does the end justify the means? In an objective view of ethics, you’d argue that the rightness or wrongness of an act is absolute and exists apart from the values or beliefs of any individual or culture. With this view, you’d hold that there are standards that apply to all people in all situations at all times. If lying, false advertising, using illegally obtained evidence, or revealing secrets you’ve promised to keep were considered unethical, then they would be unethical regardless of circumstances or of cultural values and beliefs. In an objective view the end can never justify the means; an unethical act is never justified  regardless of how good or beneficial its results (or ends) might be.
     In a subjective view of ethics, you’d argue that absolute statements about right and wrong are too rigid and that the ethics of a message depends on the culture’s values and beliefs as well as on the particular circumstances. Thus, a subjective position would claim that lying might be wrong to win votes or sell cigarettes, but that it might be quite ethical if good would result from it—as when we try to make friends feel better by telling them that they look great or that they’ll get well soon. In a subjective view a good end would often justify the use of means that would in other situations be considered unethical.

Beliefs about Ethics

     As a preface to these future discussions, consider some of the popular beliefs about ethics—perhaps one or more of which you hold personally. For each of the following statements place a T (for True) if you feel the statement accurately explains what ethical behavior is and an F (for False) if you feel the statement does not accurately explain what ethical behavior is.

1. _____ My behavior is ethical when I feel (in my heart) that I’m doing the right thing.
2. _____ My behavior is ethical when it is consistent with my religious beliefs.
3. _____ My behavior is ethical when it is legal.
4. _____ My behavior is ethical when the majority of reasonable people would consider it ethical.
5. _____ My behavior is ethical when the effect of the behavior benefits more people than it harms.

     These statements are based on responses given to the question “What does ethics mean to you?” on the Santa Clara University website on Ethical Decision Making and are presented here to stimulate thinking and discussion about what is and what is not a useful ethical theory. All five of these statements are false; none of them states a useful explanation of what is and what is not ethical.

1. Statement 1 is false simply because people often do unethical things they feel are morally justified. Jack the Ripper killing prostitutes is a good historical example, but there are many current ones such as stalking (I’m so in love I need to be with this person) or insurance scams (My family needs the money more than the insurance company). Even though Jack, the stalker, and the scam artist may feel justified in their own minds, it doesn’t make their behavior moral or ethical.
2. Statement 2 must be false when you realize that different religions advocate very different kinds of behavior, often behaviors that contradict one another. Examples abound in almost every issue of a daily newspaper.
3. Statement 3 must be false when you realize so much discrimination against certain people is perfectly legal in many parts of the world, and, in many countries, war (even preemptive war) is legal.
4. Statement 4 is false because the thinking of the majority changes with the times and has often proven to be extremely immoral. The burning of people supposed to be witches or of those who spoke out against majority opinion (as in the Inquisition) are good examples.
5. Statement 5 is false because immoral acts frequently benefit the majority and harm the minority. The burning of witches, for example, was in the interest of the majority as were slavery and discrimination against gay men and lesbians, certain religions, or different races. But, despite this majority interest, we’d readily recognize these actions as immoral.

     In addition to this introductory discussion, ethical dimensions of human communication are presented in each of the remaining chapters in the Making Ethical Choices boxes. As a kind of preview, here are just a few of the ethical issues raised in these boxes. As you read these questions, think about your own ethical beliefs and how these beliefs influence the way you’d answer the questions.

• What are your ethical obligations as a listener? See Ethics box, Chapter 4.
• When is it unethical to remain silent? See Ethics box, Chapter 6.
• When is gossiping ethical, and when is it unethical? See Ethics box, Chapter 8.
• At what point in a relationship do you have an obligation to reveal intimate details of your life? See Ethics box, Chapter 9.
• Are there ethical and unethical ways to engage in conflict and conflict resolution? See Ethics box, Chapter 11.