Social Ethics- an emerging topic.

    Social ethics come from someone’s collective experience of people and cultures throughout life. While ethics are typically driven by individual morals that determine right or wrong, ethics within society focus more on what may be considered appropriate behavior for people as a whole, rather than individual behavior. However, since people perceive things differently, and various cultures share different beliefs, what is deemed right for one may not necessarily be right for another. Therefore, defining social ethics as an absolute may be tricky.

Nonetheless, there are certain behaviors or standards in which members of a society are expected to practice in order to successfully deal with one another. These are normally based on current values or principles that dictate how people should act—such as with the Judeo-Christian teachings of the Ten Commandments, such as “Thou shall not steal.” Not only is it ethically wrong for an individual, but all members within society, including businesses, should not take part in this immoral behavior.
Since societal standards vary, the rights of the majority can only be enforced to the extent that the rights of others are not impeded upon. There are many aspects to consider within the ethics of society as a whole: language, race, gender, culture, religion, education, etc. The standards used to enforce social ethics are also numerous: family values, religious beliefs, morality, integrity, and so forth.
In order for societal standards to work in lieu of such differences, certain practices, which are deemed acceptable by the majority, are generally heeded within a society. This may include sharing with others, doing good deeds, and acknowledging different viewpoints. Social ethics also involves acceptance. People, as a whole, should respect the rights of all others, regardless of individual beliefs.
Various issues spark debate when it comes to social ethics. For instance, topics such as economics, immigration, poverty and hunger, the environment, homosexuality, and religious tolerance all create questions within the realm of social ethics and what should be deemed right or wrong. Other objectionable issues may include politics and the legislation or regulation of life and death topics like abortion, animal cruelty, and the death penalty. In addition, technologically-driven issues such as cloning, gene manipulation, and nuclear energy may raise ethical questions within society.