Diagnostic Medical Sonography News March 2019 | Page 2

What does it mean to
be a moral person?
What does it mean to be a moral person? This is not an easy question to answer. It is an issue
that philosophers have been struggling with for centuries. I don’t pretend to have figured it
all out, but I do have my own thoughts on the issue.
First, we need to consider the source of morality from a secular perspective. I believe that
individual concepts of morality come primarily from several sources:
Call it genetics, call it innate, call it whatever. But it does seem there is a sense of fairness that
just comes “built-in” to most people. Children have a highly developed sense of “fairness”
which at first is quite selfish, but as they develop they come to apply to others
As a child grows, she develops a “Theory of Mind”, which is a natural human understanding
and empathy for the “other”. They grasp the idea that other people are like them. This is
when they see that fairness is not about getting their share, but about everyone wanting a
“fair share”.
Then there are external influences. How a person makes moral decisions will depend highly
upon what they learn to value. If they grow up in an environment which values possessions,
their morals will contain strong rules against stealing and abusing property. If they are
brought up in an environment that values personal expression, their morals may contain
strong rules against the suppression of creative and expressive impulses. If the environment
contains religious influences, then their morals may be highly influenced by the religious
instruction that they received.
All told, a person’s morals are a part of their personality and a result of genetics,
development, and environment. Morality is not as cut and dry as it sometimes is made out to
be. Someone may believe that something is wrong, yet still do it. Are they immoral? Which
should be considered their morals; that which they believed or that which they do?
I would consider those to be two separate sets of morals. We can call them “practical
morality” and theoretical morality”. Theoretically, someone may declare it wrong to steal, but
when they have an opportunity to take something of great value to themselves, which they
determine someone else will not miss so much, their practical morality may steer them to do
something that they would theoretically agree is wrong.
When it comes to religion, we would be discussing theoretical morality. Followers usually
refer to a list from God of things which they consider right and a list which they consider
wrong. I don’t believe the practical morality of religious people to be much difference from
that practical morality of non-religious.
So, as for healthcare and morality and ethics, what it comes down to is this…
Morality should be considered a conformity to the rules of right conduct or a system of moral
principles which are dictated by society: right vs. wrong
All Health care workers need to ascribe to a “Code of Conduct” and all Healthcare
professionals should adhere to the following ethics:
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Diagnostic
Medical
Sonography
Protect the patient
Come to work “FIT”
Be properly Educated
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Dr. Harry Holdorf,
Program Director