Arguing from American Ethical Standards
The chart of ethical principles (below) may assist you if you are
writing an ethical argument using American Laws as your ethical standard for
proof/defense.
American ethical standard
Declaration of
Independence
The Constitution/Bill of
Rights
Ethical Principles:
·
All
‘men’ have rights.
·
“We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (HERE).
·
Natural/Inalienable
Rights: Rights
which belong to us by nature and can only be justly abridged through due
process. Examples are life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness (HERE).
The government must secure and protect all American humans’ natural right to
life, liberty, and property.
·
Humans
(children) are not property.
·
Private
Property: The
natural rights of all individuals to create, obtain, and control their possessions,
beliefs, faculties, and opinions, as well as the fruits of their labor (HERE).
One’s life is his/her own not another’s to control.
·
One
human’s rights can only extend until they bump up against another
human’s rights. When one’s freedoms overlap my freedoms, then a limit must be
made.
·
Equality: All individuals have the same
status regarding their claim as human beings to natural rights and treatment
under the law (HERE).
·
Liberty: Except where authorized by
citizens through the Constitution, government does not have the authority to
limit freedom (HERE).
·
Limited
Government: Citizens
are best able to pursue happiness when government is confined to those powers
which protect their life, liberty, and property(HERE).
·
Private
Virtue: The idea
that, in order to sustain liberty, individuals must be knowledgeable and must
conduct themselves according to principles of moral and ethical excellence,
consistent with their rights and obligations (HERE).
·
Civic
Virtue: A set of
actions and habits necessary for the safe, effective, and mutually beneficial
participation in a society (HERE).
NOTE:
The content above is not all-inclusive of American ethics.
These areas are simply agreed-upon standards of the laws of America.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment