| Universal Ethics |  |
| Universal Ethics | |
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If necessity is the mother of invention, serendipity is the father of discovery, and I may have unwittingly found a set of universal ethical principles! Crossroads' framework of principles offers a time-tested and location-tested solution. You are welcome to use it freely in its entirety. The framework is useful for people of any background or age to gain a quick, practical knowledge of ethics, or to stimulate constructive dialogue amongst diverse and competing stakeholder organizations. Designed to be useful to anyone anywhere and from any culture, faith or walk of life, our simple ethics framework has so far stood the test of thousands of people across North America, Eastern Europe, Africa, China, Russia, and the Middle East. Used to teach, guide or manage ethics, or to set standards and write codes, the framework has proven effective in a wide variety of settings, such as corporations, professional associations, a hospice, civic organizations, public and private schools, and a number of universities. There are plenty of tools for decision making, but few secular guides to help us detect when a situation has ethical implications. Outside of case studies, ethical dilemmas rarely present themselves as such. In real life they usually pass by before we know it, or develop so gradually we only recognize them in hindsight - a little like noticing the snake after you've been bitten. These principles are landmarks - generic indicators and guides for an active conscience. They are NOT values, which vary widely between individuals and cultures. Nor are they absolute rules. They are simply a set of constant, essential principles that serve to trigger our conscience and guide our actions no matter where we are in the world. Learn how you can use these universal principles (and other practical ethics guides) in your organization by contacting Crossroads Consulting at email. Read the original 3-page article A Framework for Universal Principles of Ethics (1997) at http://www.ethics.ubc.ca/papers/invited/colero.html |
