We May Not Be as Ethical as We Think We Are.

• Date: 01 July 2018
• Author: Kaplan, Jeffrey M.

Judge Learned Hand famously said: "The spirit of liberty is the spirit that is not too sure that it is right." Many believe it was a profound statement. But what--if anything--does it have to do with ethics?

It may be very relevant, if one credits the research findings of various behavioral ethicists showing that we are not as ethical as we think, and so should be not too sure that we are right in these matters.

Behavioral ethics research looks at the reasons people make ethical--or unethical--decisions. It has shown that it's not as simple as knowing right from wrong. Most people are subj ect to powerful influences, such as peer pressure, organizational norms and internal biases that can cloud their ethical compasses.

A book by business school professors Max H. Bazerman of Harvard and Ann E. Tenbrunsel of Notre Dame, Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What's Right and What to Do about It, provides an excellent and comprehensive resource on this topic. This and other behavioral research offers a number of findings worth considering.

One is that the act of doing good can "morally license" doing something bad later on...