Rational Approaches to Ethics

1. Defining the Question

Ethics refer to the moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity. It helps us differentiate between what is wrong and right. Leaders constantly face complex ethical issues that can transcend normal rules and conventions. To determine which course of action is the best, he will typically apply some type of ethical approach.

However, Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s quote suggests that this alone will not suffice unless it is accompanied by the will to do what is right. This can be interpreted in two ways.

Firstly, the leader’s ethical approach should be underpinned by the intent to do what is right. It should not be a façade to hide a leader’s self-serving motives.

Secondly, after the leader has reached a decision he deems as right, he must have the will to follow through on his decision. Inaction would render the ethical approach “defenseless”. The leader needs courage to overcome the individual and organizational obstacles that stand in his way.

2. Ethical Approaches and their Flaws

Leaders can use different ethical approaches to approach ethical issues. However, such approaches are not foolproof. History gives us examples of leaders who have used ethical approaches to justify actions that range from the morally debatable to the universally reviled.

2.1 Utilitarian Approach

The Utilitarian Approach advocates the course of action that maximizes happiness or minimizes the suffering of all that are affected.

Yet, applying utilitarianism can be problematic. It suggests that the end justifies the means, with little regard to the nature of those means. A leader can use this approach to perpetuate the tyranny of the majority, or masquerade an agenda as for the greater good. For example, Adolf Hitler’s justification for the mass genocide under the Third Reich can be classified as utilitarian. He believed in evolution and the survival of the fittest and dictated that for humankind to...