• UGI USER
  • Sep 05, 2023
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Q. An ethical action is rooted in the temporal and spatial dimensions of societies. Discuss with adequate examples.

Approach:

  • Briefly explain the meaning of an ethical action.
  • Write about how ethical principles change with time and place.
  • Conclude accordingly.

Answer:

  • An ethical action is one that conforms to the accepted principles of right and wrong, also called ethical principles. There are two schools of thought for the determination of ethical principles.
  • One school i.e. the Ethical universalism believes that ethical values are universal and immutable. For example, love, honesty, integrity, humanity etc.
  • On the other hand, the second school i.e., Ethical relativism believes that ethical principles keep changing depending on the circumstances and socio-cultural factors.

The ethicality of an act may depend on the different cultures or different periods in history, as explained below:

Temporal Dimension

  • An action may become ethical in one time period and can be considered unethical in some other time period.
  • For example, India has recently de-criminalized the act of homosexuality which was considered unethical under Christian morality of British rule.
  • Similarly, polygamy was an accepted practice in Indian Hindu society during pre- independence times. Now, it is prohibited by law.
  • Few decades back, divorce was considered a taboo and wives were expected to continue with their husbands even if their husbands were abusive. Now, the taboo around divorce is shattering and rates of divorce are increasing.

Spatial Dimension

  • Sometimes an action may be judged as ethical from the lens of one society and unethical if the same action is evaluated against the standards of another society.
  • For example, paying commission to agents/lobbyists for procuring defence deals is an accepted principle in many western countries, but the same act comes under corrupt practices as per Indian standards and laws.
  • In southern parts of India, marriage between maternal uncle and niece is a norm while the northern parts of India do not accept such a marriage.
  • The phenomenon of ‘live in’ relationships is increasingly becoming common in metro cities and has received judicial acknowledgement. However, it is still not accepted by many conservative people/societies especially in smaller cities and towns.

Thus, there are some universal ethical principles as well as ethical principles which depend on the temporal and spatial dimensions of the societies in which they are applied.