What has destroyed the link between government and ethics?

Question

In America I hear people often mistake the seperation of church and state as the sepration of ethics and state. People actually fear the legislation of morals, and most claim it is something relative that shouldn't be enforced on everyone. Government's purpose should and has been in the past to enforce good ethical behavior on its subjects.

Answer 1

This depends on how you define ethics and morals. If you look in the dictionary there is very little (if any) difference.

However, most people equate morals with religion, and ethics with social norms.

What exactly is ethical behavior? I think this is a hard line to draw. The problem is that I have never meet anyone who can provide a really objective definition for ethical behavior. Some people believe that stem cell research is ethically wrong, other people think that it's not ethically wrong, but it's morally wrong, and other people think that it's not ethically or morally wrong.

I think we need to structure our laws by a different set of criteria. I believe that people should have the right to do anything that that they want until it directly harms another individual or their property.

Answer 2

Welll...."enforcing good, ethical behavior" isnt really the government's role. A government's job is to do the people's business in security, infrastructure, etc. But, I'll let you slide with that mistake in order to say:

Power and money. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. These days, politicians have the perception (probably correct, unfortunately) that they have absolute power. Thus being absolutely corrupt, it's easy for them to grab big handfuls of the money that flies around Washington today.

It's time we started dragging those assholes out into the street and horsewhipping them. But, of course, they've outlawed such behavior from us.

Answer 3

Politicians are what has destroyed the link between government and ethics.

However; you are grossly in error when you say government's purpose should be to enforce 'good' ethical behavior on its subjects.

Government's purpose is to serve and represent the people.

When a government starts to enforce 'good' ethical behavior it becomes totalitarian and that is bad. Very, very bad.

Answer 4

Ethics has to do with duty and morality has to do with morals. When duty is founded upon an immoral basis, then good ethics require immoral behavior. So, to answer the question: We have immoral people acting both ethically and unethically because of immoral legislation. Both of which carry their own consequences.

Answer 5

Big business runs this place...... cash talks.... Key is is that we are suppose to be a democracy, for the people by the people, so by definition, we are the government... turn to your country for becomming the way it is, because the government is just a scap goat.... its a term..... If the entire country was ethical, we would have a highly ethical nation.... my thoughts anyway but who am i

Answer 6

Poiticians seek power.
To achieve that power they lie to gain your trust - they can do this by apealling to the lowest common value (usually financial) as many do not actually want the truth (ie if you want free health, social care etc etc - it does actually cost so you will need to pay taxes)
Once they have the power, they do as they please for the next 4 years, then they spend a short time lieing once more so we ill vote for them.
And so on.

Therefore to seek power, you must be ready to lie as principles will get you praise, but not much in the way of any real power.

In short, anyone who seeks power should be disqualified from having it.

Answer 7

The problem is that you can not have one without the other, I say, get rid of the idea of a government or ethics, both are horrible, in their meaning and their goal.

Answer 8

money power.