Ethics Motivate Goodness

Kevin Baur | Writer Ethan Antalosky | Editor

For a long time, I went through my life with limited knowledge of ethics. I displayed something called egoism, essentially I only ever acted in self-interest. I spent the majority of my time doing things solely for my own benefit, which I would now consider immoral. I think the same goes for many people during childhood. It was only once I began to have an understanding of ethics that I started to change. A few years ago I came to the understanding that my way of life felt wrong, thus, my ethical journey began. I reformed my own ethics, bolstering them with an education on some of the world’s historical and religious traditions. Learning about ethical traditions has motivated me to think more about my actions to examine whether or not they are morally permissible before performing them. Said mindfulness has led to a level of confidence in my actions that I have never experienced before. I am much happier to lead a life of what I understand as ethical goodness. Of course, my understanding of ethics is not complete. As I continue to expand my knowledge, I am sure that my views will keep changing. Nonetheless, an ethical understanding leads me to what I consider a better life. I urge anyone with an interest in learning about ethics to pursue that knowledge.

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