In ethics, a "universal code of ethics" is a system of ethics that can apply to every sentient being.
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Kant believed that what created the problem of ethical behavior is the duality of human nature. Since humans are both sensible and intellectual, and at the same time motivated by impulse, they must be guided by rules of conduct to balance the two. He believed that everyone could decide right and wrong based on the will behind the action, rather than the action itself. In deciding whether one's actions were moral, he said it should be considered what the universal benefit would be if everyone behaved in such a fashion. For example, if everyone stole, the result would be chaos and violence. Therefore, a moral person would consider it unethical to steal. In abiding by these laws, it is possible to see how a universal code of ethics could be built up.
However, men like Marx and Engels believed that there could be no universal code of ethics because all ethics and philosophy are relative to the economical situations of each individual society. Therefore, each society would create its own system of ethics based on its economic status and history, and the current system of ethics would soon give way to a new one. Thus all morals and ethics are relative.
Later codes of ethics, such as that of Max Stirner, stated that the only ethics that existed were those that benefited the self. The common good and the love of one's fellow man, he claimed, were only illusory. Men who were exceptional in some way (intelligence or rank) were always the exception to moral standards. Nietzsche founded his ethical principles on this basis; he believed that everything powerful men did was defined as moral.[1]
There are several ethical standards that seem to apply across cultures. The idea of a parent's duty to his child, a prohibition against killing useful members of society, and prohibition against incest are all examples of these universal morals. Most cultures also have some version of the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.[2]
These same morals that pervade human society can also be seen to some extent in the animal kingdom. This gives some credence to the idea that some moral codes are innate. Parents rear their children because it gives them a greater chance of success in their children surviving to adulthood and thus passing on the genes of the parent to future generations. the murder of useful members of society weakens the society as a hurts the citizen who committed the crime as well. Incest reduces chances of reproductive success, and therefore is not beneficial for passing on genes. Using this biological argument, anything that decreased chances of reproductive success would thus be seen as unethical or deviant, while anything that increased the chance of reproductive success would be seen as ethical.[2]
Many organizations and professions have come up with their own "universal code of ethics." For example, the scientists' professional code of ethics includes the following moral standards: