The Nature of Morality - Diffusion of Responsibility

Part 1: Diffusion of Responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility occurs when individuals in a large, active group tend to avoid correcting problems because they believe that it is not their job. The pressure to conform to a group's beliefs and standards leads to the giving up of one's moral independence. This fragments the responsibility of the task assigned to the group where nobody sees himself responsible for what happens. This weakens the sense of moral responsibility of individuals because they tend to think themselves as small players in a huge process and that they are not accountable for anything that goes wrong within the organization. They argue that they have performed a certain task or taken a decision because they had to follow policies although if the decision was on them, they would refuse to perform or authorize the given task.

Another concept within the diffusion of responsibility is the bystander effect. Social psychologists believe that the sense of responsibility in a person is directly related to the number of people in the incident. More the number of people witnessing an event, the less any of them will be compelled to take an action.

The reason behind choosing this topic is due of its relevance to student group projects and the matter of individual integrity and responsibility. When a group is caught plagiarizing; it might be that only one member has presented plagiarized material. But when asked about it, the members do not claim responsibility because it was "not their fault" whereas the whole group is accountable for the materials they have submitted.

Page 26, 3rd Paragraph: Diffusion of Responsibility.

Part 2: Ethics and Religion

Ethics are the rules that differentiate between right and wrong and that govern and control our conduct. The level of ethics or morality differs from one person to another which is affected by factors such as religion, society etc.

Religion is the belief in a power which controls the universe and that it is way of life. Morality is said to be derived from religion because religion provides moral guidance and the directions of how to live your life while avoiding the wrong-doings.

The relationship between religion and ethics is much argued about where it is said that without the fear of God and the desire to avoid hell and go to heaven there would be no morality. The role of religion is just influencing the moral standards and values within us. It teaches us to be good so we should base our morals on religion. Philosophers argue that personal morals must not be affected by religion because an action is wrong because it violates the norms, not because religion objects about what is right and what is wrong.

Religion plays a great role in influencing our personal as well