Actions = Ethics

Photo by Gage Skidmore
via Wikimedia.

As the Donald Trump Junior scandal unfolds, what he INTENDED to do is more important than what he ACTUALLY did.

He attended a meeting that he had been told specifically was part of a Russian effort to influence the election.

What does this say about his morality and values? A lot.


I am not an ethicist, but I teach ethics in most of my media classes.  I know that ethics are general principals, morality is the judgment of good and bad, and values are actions based on ethics and morality.

The fact that no information was (apparently) turned over does not change Donald Trump Junior's intent to engage in actions that were known to be part of Russia's efforts to influence the election.

He apparently ended up not doing anything wrong, according to reports, but he was willing to do something wrong. He took the first steps on the path of doing something wrong.  His morality told him that it was OK to do something bad.

We have to assume that he knew what he was doing.  As a leader of the Trump presidential campaign, it was his responsibility and his obligation to know the rules.

I don't like being partisan.  I am a registered independent and I have said for years that I base my election choices on my perception of the ability of the candidate to perform critical thinking, as well as stance on specific issues of importance to me.

But the take-away here is that actions reflect ethics and morality.  We judge ethics by the actions they produce.

For me, the willingness within the Trump campaign to take action collude with Russia is another example of the leadership of the current White House not being able to think critically about questions of ethics and morality.

Because I cannot depend on them to make ethical decisions, I cannot depend on them to make ANY wise decisions.