Ethics Test

Also known as moral philosophy, the field of ethics addresses questions about good and evil, justice, virtues, and rights.  Ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that suggest what human beings ought to do.  
Although it can be easy to equate morality with feelings, being ethical is more than just following gut instincts.  In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is ethical. 
 
In addition, ethics does not apply only to religious people, although many religions advocate high ethical standards.  Ethics applies to atheists, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and everyone else. 
 
Also, being ethical is not the same as following the law or doing what society accepts.  One need not look further than slavery before Civil War for an example of how a law can be unethical.  Nazi Germany is an example of an entire society that became ethically corrupt.   
 
Here’s a fun, but intriguing exercise to assess your ethical judgment.  Please note that this test contains misleading and exaggerated information, so use it with proper caution.  The purpose of this exercise is to teach people about ethics, the dangers of quick judgments and subjective criteria. 
 
Two ethical questions:
Question 1: If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had eight children already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Remember your honest answer and go to question 2.
 
Question 2: It is time to elect the world leader, and yours is the deciding vote. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:
 
Candidate A: He associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologers. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks up to ten Martinis a day.
 
Candidate B: He was ejected from office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a large amounts of whisky every evening.
 
Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extra-marital affairs.
Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide, then see the answer below.
 
Candidate A is Franklin D Roosevelt, Candidate B is Winston Churchill, and Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.
 
And by the way the answer to the abortion question... If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.
 
Although the historical accuracy of this test can be questioned, the points made are still valid--we often make ethical judgments based on what society has told us.  In addition, we all tend to make snap decisions in assessing whether something is right or wrong without having complete information.