Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's discussion of ethics in his book Elements of the Philosophy of Right is a delightful foray into the subject. He understands an ethical dilemma to be both commonplace and consequential. His arguments are wrapped up in a humanist desire for human progress. To him that is the ultimate ideal. Thus he writes from the perspective of civic advocacy.
To Hegel, the question of ethical correctness is holistic and relies upon the synthesis of three spheres: abstract right, morality, and ethics. He argues that a true and correct answer or decision must be correct and true on each of these levels, which marry the individual to the collective of human consciousness. Since his goal is the progress of humankind in society, Hegel further interprets this synthesis to necessitate the personal involvement and care of an individual in the various spheres of interaction in a society: economics, family, law, etc. Through the moderation of a person's standards to that of the populace, one can contribute to the progress of humanity as well as correct any latent mistakes in their own standards of ethics.
