The role of political ethics and its process

Yingying Chen

The role of political ethics and its process

Opinion Article - (2022) Volume 16, Issue 3

^*Correspondence: Yingying Chen, Department of Political Science and Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, Connecticut, USA, Email:

Author information

Department of Political Science and Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, Connecticut, USA

Received: 16-Aug-2022, Manuscript No. AJPS-22-74300; Editor assigned: 19-Aug-2022, Pre QC No. AJPS-22-74300 (PQ); Reviewed: 05-Sep-2022, QC No. AJPS-22-74300; Revised: 12-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. AJPS-22-74300 (R); Published: 20-Sep-2022

Description

Making moral judgements about political conduct and political agents is the practise of political ethics, usually referred to as political morality or public ethics. It addresses two topics. The first relates to public officials and their procedures, and is often known as the ethics of process (or the ethics of office). The second category is the ethics of policy (also known as ethics and public policy), which deals with assessments of laws and policies. When the term’s origins and steady growth are considered, the idea of political morality can be clearly comprehended. Historically, the fundamental ideals and standards of political morality have been formed from the concepts of fairness (Chiapperino, 2018). John Rawls, however, advocates the idea that, in the end, the political notion of justice is founded on the common good of the individual rather than on the moral standards one is obliged to uphold. People also rely on their own perceived definition of morality when seeking to assess the morality of political matters. There are various moral pillars from which the idea of morality itself comes. People’s perceptions of political activities and political agents are influenced by morality when viewed through the prism of these tenets.

Ethics of process

The dilemma of many hands occurs when it is difficult to determine who is really in charge of the results in large organisations (Luke, et al. 2021). Political ethics allows leaders to act in ways that would be improper in their personal lives while also requiring them to uphold greater standards than would be expected in their personal lives. For instance, they can be less entitled to privacy than regular citizens and forbidden from using their position for personal gain. The key difficulties in this situation eventually revolve around the idea of conflict of interest (Moreira, et al. 2018).

Political morality and personal or private morality are frequently seen as having a conflict of interest, as was previously mentioned. However, it’s crucial to understand that these two moral conceptions are capable of continuing their mutually beneficial interaction. These ideals permeate both the personal and public spheres of morality, regardless of whether a person is active in politics as a leader or as a citizen (Ross, et al. 2020). A person who acquired the required abilities in the political sphere may use these learned skills in a context outside of politics, which is frequently seen as a private everyday situation. On the other hand, a person entering politics may already possess the traits and values anticipated in a professional setting (Smith, et al. 2019).

As a result, as expected, the previously held values will be applied to the new political environment. If the traits were not already learnt, reciprocity, as in the context of acquiring such traits, is frequently present when entering the field (Smok, et al. 2020). Although the expectations for both morality categories differ, there is at least some correlation between them. The virtues and values simply factor in and apply to both environments, regardless of how they came to be held. Those who have entered the competitive political environment understand that while morals and virtues can undoubtedly have an impact, developing one’s character before entering can be extremely advantageous.

Ethics of policy

In a different method that is pertinent to this topic of political ethics, personal morality is also taken into account when determining public morality, as was covered in the preceding section (Takala, et al. 2019). Public morality is frequently described as being “formal,” given the Liberal democracy that exists in the United States. Respecting authority and upholding the law are just two essential elements in achieving the idea of public morality. These characteristics are anticipated from someone who actively engages in politics and are eventually necessary for the conduct of political leaders (Xafis, et al. 2021). Despite the fact that every citizen has their own opinions and morals regarding a particularly contentious issue, political leaders have a responsibility to uphold their constituents’ beliefs while abiding by the law and the constitution.