Everyday Ethics

Morality seems like the sort of thing that involves individual action.  We ask questions about what individuals ought to do, or how persons ought to be treated.  However, the role of communities in ethical deliberations should not be understated, and our own ethical decision-making can be enhanced by thinking about the ways that communities might play a role in solving our moral dilemmas.

Communities typically provide guidelines for how we ought to treat other people.  Even if you think morality is something that humans make up, you still have to be sensitive to the moral norms of your community if you want to avoid various interpersonal problems.  In many instances, we can begin to evaluate ethical dilemmas by considering how our community typically views the situation in question.  From this, we can ask deeper questions about whether this view is the right one.  So looking at community norms can be a good way to jump-start our ethical decision-making.

In addition to providing some degree of moral guidance, communities are sometimes the sorts of things that ought to be given moral consideration.  For example, immigration continues to be a red-hot political issue here in the United States, and the diversity of views about it is nearly as substantial as the diversity of the immigrant community itself.  It’s important to note, however, that when we talk about immigration policies, we are not only talking about how individual immigrants ought to be treated.  We are also asking questions about how immigrants ought to be treated as a community.  We ought to think about the impact of our actions upon immigrants as a group, rather than focusing only on the impact our policies may have on individuals.

Finally, communities can be the sorts of things that are bound by certain moral obligations.  For example, throughout our nation’s history, certain groups have victimized other groups for a variety of silly reasons.  An argument can be made that the community of the oppressor has an obligation to right the wrongs enacted upon the oppressed.  Many individuals balk at this, claiming that their ancestors, not themselves, are responsible for these atrocities.  This point fails to recognize the community aspect of such issues.  It seems odd to say that white individuals are obligated to right the wrongs of slavery for black individuals.  But there is something different about the claim that the white community has a debt to pay to the black community.  Talking only about individuals in these cases largely misses the most relevant point being made.

Hopefully our discussion has illuminated some ways that the community is a relevant aspect of our moral deliberation.  The community serves as a provider of moral guidelines, as well as the recipient and bearer of moral duties.  The next time that we are faced with a moral decision, it is important that we remember to consider the relevant community-based considerations.  If we fail to do this, we may miss something important. 

About the Author

Elijah Weber is a graduate student at Bowling Green State University. He holds a Master's degree in philosophy from Colorado State University, and Bachelor’s degrees in sociology and philosophy from Chapman Univerity. He currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife Laura, his son Brandon, age two and a half, and two cats, both of whom are mentally deranged.