Why Ethical?
Why do we have to be moral persons? How to distinguish the right from the wrong so that we choose the good choice and pursue in the right direction? As rational beings, what ends do we seek?
We generally seek to live a good life and desire to feel the components of a well being, like experiencing life's most satisfying pleasures. We would also excel in things that are worth doing and get the deep satisfaction of it. Further, we might also think and do things that have intrinsic value (good in themselves) including pleasure and harmony with details like living well, dreaming wild and making meaning.
We are not alone in this world and we justify our societal actions by acting in accordance with the general moral principles accepted by civilised societies. Such moral standards and norms become authoritative when they are expressed as laws at domestic, regional or international levels. They cover our rights and obligations on civil, political, economic, social, and cultural fronts,
As we have the power to reason, we are moral agents. We have the duty to withhold and overrrule impulses that are wrong eg behaviours that are in conflict with societal mores and laws. Not only that we are legally responsible for our acts or omissions, we are also morally obliged to do so.