Is it ethical to break ones own ethics?

[InformedIgnorance]

Either subconsciously revising your ethical values or consciously reexamining them does not require 'breaking' those values.

 

[Me Myself]

For example, what exactly are the politician's ethics here? If she opposes homosexual marriage, then why? Does she support civil rights and freedoms? Those two concepts are opposed. What are her fundamental principles?

It could very well be the case that she holds to an ethical system wherein she avoids doing behavior that she finds unethical and also wishes to maximize freedom of others. In that case, she would abstain from homosexual marriage herself, but not seek to impose her ethics on other people, so she could vote in favor of gay marriage. No ethical principles were violated.

But if her ethical position is that she needs to stop other adults from doing things she finds to be unethical, to impose her ethical system on others, then voting in opposition of homosexual marriage would be in line with her ethical system.

Yu are describing a double standard. Its not necesarily bad BTW, but that is what you are describing. Also, the person you are describing cant be in favor of jailing people when they steal or kill other people.

What you wanted to say I assume, is that s/he has things that s/he finds ethically acceptable enough so to not penalize someone or others when they do it, but unethical enough to still feel it is wrong and avoid it hirself (which would be the case of homosexuality for example)

At the same time there are thins s/he does feel need to be punished and prevented, like murder, robbery, etc.

 

[Me Myself]

Either subconsciously revising your ethical values or consciously reexamining them does not require 'breaking' those values.

This is what I am thinking, which is why I am still not sure how to understand the OP.

 

[Penumbra]

Yu are describing a double standard. Its not necesarily bad BTW, but that is what you are describing. Also, the person you are describing cant be in favor of jailing people when they steal or kill other people.

What you wanted to say I assume, is that s/he has things that s/he finds ethically acceptable enough so to not penalize someone or others when they do it, but unethical enough to still feel it is wrong and avoid it hirself (which would be the case of homosexuality for example)

At the same time there are thins s/he does feel need to be punished and prevented, like murder, robbery, etc.

You stated it was a double standard without explaining why you think that is the case.

 

[dust1n]

Either subconsciously revising your ethical values or consciously reexamining them does not require 'breaking' those values.

Why would it be different if it was conscious?

 

[InformedIgnorance]

I was merely pointing out that either subconsciously one's position might alter or that consciously one might re-examine their sense of morality - changing one's understanding of morality is not the same as contravening that sense of morality: of doing what you believe is wrong.

 

[dust1n]

I was merely pointing out that either subconsciously one's position might alter or that consciously one might re-examine their sense of morality - changing one's understanding of morality is not the same as contravening that sense of morality: of doing what you believe is wrong.

Oh, definitely agreed. Just wanted to catch the distinction if that was emphasized, which doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

The only real difference between the two I suppose would that the subconscious approach might be a more gradual process of adjustment while the conscious approach would be more abrupt and potentially more difficult to perform if a non-intuitive based process is used.