The Ethics of Government
Essay by Justin Lowry
What is the ethics of government? The definition of ethics is proper conduct. So, to better state the goal of this essay, what is the proper conduct of government? I believe to properly answer this question, government itself must be divided into two entities.
The first being government as an abstract object, that is, a non-personified entity. This entity of government is law, for that is all government truly is. So, to apply the question to this, how should government be properly conducted as law.
I believe that this conductance uses law to protect its citizens. Thus, laws should be to protect liberty first and foremost. Liberty is the greatest good that a government may be based on. Only under liberty can humanity define what it believes is good and strive to obtain. Liberty is a concept that humanity strives for, because under liberty, humanity can strive for different things, therefore, the initial liberty becomes several liberties, which can then be defined as rights.
The second entity we will examine is the personified government, that is, the elected officials. What should be the proper conduct of them? They should have futuristic vision and be consequential. One thing history has taught us is that what we do now will be interpreted in the future. They should evaluate what they are doing in terms of “What will this do today, and what might it do tomorrow.” To be more specific, what does this bill mean today. What does it aim to accomplish as well as how might it be used in the future. What evils can be committed, as well as good.
They should also take this view and apply it to the past. What did they mean by this back then? Did they intend for this to be used in this manner?
Of course, the argument against this is law evolving with society. Should law evolve with society? I believe to properly answer this we must take a closer look at law.
The purpose of law is to protect its citizens and uphold morals. Morals are not instinctual traits, but instead learned behavior. That is obvious as most morals are in place to either suppress or transcend instinct. Based upon this principle, humans follow law because of learned traditions, not instinct. If law was followed on instinct, then the law would never be broken. Therefore, law doesn't evolve with society, law is better served by society revolving around it.
Along with enforcing morals, an ethical government knows which morals to enforce, and which one's enforcements destroys individual liberty. Morals that impose a threat to someone else, to harm them, must be enforced. Immorality such as stealing, rape, and murder must be enforced by law and government. Somethings may seem immoral, but should not be enforced, such as, lust. While the illegality of rape is justified, consensual sex between adults should not be illegal, even though it may seem immoral to some. Hunting may seem immoral to some, but it should not be outlawed. Greed may seem immoral, but it should not be outlawed, unless it is expressed in the form of theft or corruption. The ethical government knows how to strike a balance between the two.
So, to reevaluate all the was discussed, an ethical government uses law to protect the liberties of its citizens. The officials we elect use their vision to understand that what is good today may be tyranny tomorrow. The officials also acknowledges that society revolves around law, and not the other way around. Lastly, the ethical government understands what morals to enforce, and which ones not.