Limitations and Functions of Codes of Ethics

Abstract

This paper tries to answer the question about the functions of a code of ethics. First, I analyze the limitations of these codes through a series of questions that have been raised on its utility. Two sets of questions are put forward: the first has to do with the motivation for the formulation of the code and the effects it can have on people who are subject to it, and, on the other hand, those which deal with the very characteristics of the code. Finally, I try to save the idea that a code of ethics is a central piece in a more integral strategy and I argue that if codes of ethics do not help by themselves in substantive ways neither in resolving moral conflicts within an institution nor in bringing people to behave in more ethical ways, they do help to reaffirm the moral identity of institutions, and to announce which are the values the institution adheres to, and what can be expected of it and its members.