Codes of Ethics

Abstract

Abstract The term “moral code” seems to be reserved for rules or other standards (written or not) applying to rational agents simply because they are (more or less) members of some “natural” (i.e., nonvoluntary) society. “Code of ethics,” when having a distinct meaning, applies instead to participants in a legitimate voluntary activity – such as a business, profession, or government. A code of ethics may appear under other names, including “principles of professional responsibility,” “rules of conduct,” and “ethical guidelines” ( see Business Ethics; Professional Ethics). However denominated, a code of ethics will belong to one of three categories: (1) professional , a code applying to all, and only, members of a certain profession (e.g., Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association, which applies to all “physicians”); (2) organizational , codes applying only to members (or a certain class of members) of the association formally enacting it (e.g., the Code of Ethics of the American Institute of Architects, which applies only to “members,” or the Motorola Code of Ethics, applying only to employees of Motorola); or (3) practical (such as the Computer Ethics Institute's Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics), codes applying to anyone involved in a certain voluntary practice (using a computer).