This is my thread with my frustration on ethics, not a discussion on it, so this is the proper forum…I guess…
At any rate, maybe its my terrible local library or where I am looking, but I want to find some books on ethics! Anything, no matter how simple nor complex! ANYTHING!!! Help!
I think the study of ethics is compeltely superfluous anyway.
You are either ethical or you aren’t. Most ethical systems are about being seen to be ethical, rather than actually being ethical.
I say don’t waste your time.
In order to reach the chief good of a practice, such as good health through the practice of medicine, or good houses through the practice of architecture, one must study at being good at that practice.
One becomes an architect by making houses.
Similarly, one must practice at being ethical (and therefore know what it is to be ethical, which can only be done properly through studying ethics) in order to be ethical.
The idea that the study of ethics is somehow ‘superfluous’ is very odd indeed for these and more reasons. 
Actually builders build houses. An architect may have some idea of how to go about it, and design practices which will enhance the amenity and aesthetics of the building, but he is not the best person to actually undertake the construction.
If I look at say, ethical standards for auditors to illustrate my point, an auditor may not own shares in a company s/he is responsible for auditing. The desired outcome of this measure is that the auditor will not be swayed by his own financial interest, however it is perfectly feasible that the auditor be able to execute his duties ethically without this measure. In other words, if s/he were truly ethical, having shares or not in the company would not influence the audit anyway. Therefore the measure is about being seen to be ethical, rather than being ethical. I would suggest that it actually implies that auditors are NOT ethical.
This is why I say that the study of ethics cannot make you into an ethical person. You either are or you are not. If you are, you have no need to study ethics, because you will be ethical anyway, whether or not there was a branch of study of ethical behaviour or not. Conversely, if you are not ethical, then studying ethics only teaches you to be sneaky and convince people that you are, when in fact you are not. That is why I said studying ethics is superfluous.
Yes, I should have said builder.
I agree with you, but this is not an argument, surely, for the superfluous nature of a formal study of ethics, but rather a good argument against the political and legal application of forced applied ethics in the workplace. What you are showing above is that ethics in the work place are superfluous to the actual ethical nature of the agent involved - not that the study of ethics is in itself superfluous. Quite different points I am sure you will agree.
Well that’s interesting but I think the ethical nature of the auditor here cannot be deduced from what ethical legalities he or she must conform with at work.
That’s not what you have shown. You’ve shown that someone forced into an ‘ethical right-doing’ in her place of work cannot make that person into an ethical agent. This has little to do with study.
You seem to think that people are either born ethical or not - quite a premise and one that if correct would rock the foundations of normative ethics.
The hope is rather that a naturally selfish and sneaky person could, through a proper study of ethical matters, realise why behaving in an ethically sound manner is actually for his or her own best interests. This is why the study of ethics is vital. If you throw this out, you’re also throwing out reform schools, criminal reformatories, etc, as you are essentially stating that no one is capable of making any change to their behaviour - I would prefer to think that with knowledge comes change, and this is an easier premise to prove as sound.
Sorry, only just noticed this post, but check out this thread, a whole load of our old and present posters have put a lot of links to online libraries in which you’ll find virtually every seminal philosophy text that is out of copyright, all available for free.