Beyond legislating ethics

The Christian Science Monitor

In spite of the commendable effort given to legislating proper codes of conduct, it is helpful to remember that ethical behavior depends primarily on individuals and not on written laws.

When thinking of ethics, I often remember an incident that occurred when I was a student in graduate business school. During an intense discussion of marketing strategy for a particular brand of radar detectors, a fellow student stunned the class. Responding to the professor's request for the details of her marketing strategy she explained she had not prepared one because she found it unethical to expend any effort on a product designed to skirt the law. This student's stand brought quite an unexpected conclusion to that day's marketing class.

This type of perspective brings an essential ethical focus to government and business. For many people, ethical standards are largely determined by their understanding of God. If we accept ourselves as in fact God's children, totally spiritual, our grasp of ethics goes far beyond a listing of do's and don'ts that human law may provide.

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