Ethical and Social Responsibility

                                                        Image credit: Martina Badini/Shutterstock.com

Never will there be a time where ethical and social responsibility shouldn’t be shared among the population. Unfortunately, there always has and always will be some sort of situation or crisis whether it be close to home or across the world that begs us to contemplate our own ethical and social responsibilities. Some of the main questions typically include, why aren’t we all on the same page . . . and for what reasons? For instance, we should all agree that the health of our environment is key to survival, yet while some feel as though it’s their civic duty to fight to protect the earth, others feel less inclined and in some cases flat out disagree. When considering situations such as this, what is the most beneficial way to share the associated ethical and social responsibilities?

Different situations require different shared levels of responsibility. A great example of this is the current pandemic and vaccination requirements. It’s not a requirement for everyone (yet), so individuals have the choice of whether or not to receive the Covid vaccine. Considering our Federal Government has set a benchmark of 75% of the population to be vaccinated prior to fully reopening businesses, does this mean social responsibility only lies with that fraction of our population? If this is the case, then couldn’t we also apply the same “herd immunity” principles to other situations? For argument's sake, I think this could be an effective way to balance shared responsibilities to benefit the growth and wealth of our society and the health of our environment. An entire community doesn’t necessarily have to be in lockstep with their principles and values to benefit society. Rather, contradicting interpretations could lead to a more fruitful decision-making process.