MORAL ETHICS AND COMMUNICATION ETHICS AS FOUNDATIONS FOR HUMAN FLOURISHING: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW
Keywords:
Moral Ethics, Communication Ethics, Human Dignity, Human Flourishing, Digital ResponsibilityAbstract
The rapid development of digital media and communication technologies has transformed the ways individuals interact, share information, build relationships, and participate in society. However, these developments have also created ethical challenges, including misinformation, cyberbullying, privacy violations, online polarisation, manipulation, and the irresponsible use of artificial intelligence. This study examines the relationship between moral ethics, communication, and human flourishing in the twenty-first century, with particular attention to how ethical communication promotes human dignity and social well-being. The study is anchored in virtue ethics, communication ethics, and Christian ethics. The study uses a conceptual literature review methodology, drawing on relevant scholarly literature to critically examine the ethical dimensions of contemporary communication. The study addresses a gap in existing scholarship by integrating moral ethics, communication ethics, and human flourishing into a unified framework for evaluating ethical communication in the digital age. The findings reveal that moral values such as truthfulness, respect, fairness, responsibility, compassion, and integrity are essential for responsible communication, trust, and meaningful human relationships. The study further finds that ethical communication can promote human flourishing by supporting dignity, social participation, mutual understanding, inclusion, and well-being, while unethical communication can undermine these conditions. Based on the reviewed literature, the study proposes the Moral Ethics–Communication–Human Flourishing (MECHF) Model, which explains how moral ethics guides communication towards human dignity, social well-being, and human flourishing within the opportunities and challenges of the digital environment. The study concludes that ethical communication and responsible use of digital technologies are essential for promoting human dignity, social well-being, and the common good.
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