Ethical blackout by Senator Lobão Filho
Only someone who benefits from a double immorality (substitute appointment and nepotism) could say something like that – that ethics are too subjective and irrelevant.
Did Senator Lobão Filho have an ethical lapse? Yes. This is very serious. Senator Lobão Filho (PMDB-MA), who is only a senator because his father, Edson Lobão, holds a ministerial position in Dilma's government, thus benefiting from double immorality (he is an alternate senator – which is already immoral – and was appointed by his father through nepotism), made (on August 5, 2013) one of the most shocking statements of the entire republican era: "The defense of uncompromising ethics is a very subjective thing. There is no reason to include ethics in the oath of office for a senator. What is ethical for you may not be for me. Ethics is a very subjective, very abstract thing. It is not relevant." He later issued a statement amending his position. Only someone who benefits from double immorality (alternate position and nepotism) could say something like that. The senator revealed that he has no idea what ethics are in human life, much less in public life. The June protests cannot stop!
What is meant by Ethics? All human beings, animals, and nature—that is, everything on our planetary "island" (which is not the same as Robinson Crusoe's)—must be treated with respect. Human beings should be considered as equals (like other travelers). The golden rule of ethics is this: we can never do to others what we would not want done to us. Ethics (which must be rescued from the ruins of today's unjust, globalized, and speculative society), from the moment we recognize the need to coexist with other travelers (equals), transforms from the "art of living well" into the "art of living well humanely" (Savater).
What does this mean? It means that we have to live with others, or even against others (when we disagree with an idea), but always humanely (that is, among human beings, as Savater says). What transforms our lives into human life is that, since we are not on an isolated island like Robinson Crusoe, we are all compelled to spend every day of our lives in the company of other human beings, interacting with them, talking with them, negotiating with them, loving them, building or abandoning dreams or castles, making plans, playing, discussing, agreeing, disagreeing, etc. This is the game of life, or there is no life! But we must distinguish between public life and private life.
Is morality what governs the game of public life? Yes. Every era has its moral structure (Aranguren), that is, its guidelines for conduct, its ideals, its ends, its values, governed by ethics. Life, even when marked by debates and conflicts, cannot disconnect itself from moral boundaries, under penalty of becoming entangled in the world of wickedness, trickery, dishonesty, in short, a lack of ethics. At no point in our lives, especially when we participate in the political life of the city or the country (the "polis" or the res publica), can we admit the stain or blemish of wickedness.
Do customs, tradition, or external orders oblige us? No. By force of ethics, we are not obliged to follow the immoral customs rooted in some economic and financial practices, much less in the political tradition of our country. Is there some supernatural force that leads most economic, financial, and public agents (there are exceptions, of course) to behave (almost always) irregularly? No. Every time we encounter a tradition or custom or an external order, we must pay attention to its content and nature. Ethics concerns the internal forum of our will (and freedom). We are free (in general) to decide for good or evil (for right or wrong). We can say "yes" or "no." The price we pay for having this freedom lies in responsibility. We must always be responsible for the acts we commit. And in this case, neither external order nor tradition absolves us.
Does ethics bind us for life? Yes. In the concrete acts of our lives, when the (higher) ethical plane is at stake, you don't have to ask anyone what should be done: ask yourself. Furthermore, it's not enough to be ethical only during a portion of your life. Why? As the Supreme Court Justice Cármen Lúcia wisely and sensibly said: "Life is like a road. It's no use saying you went straight for a thousand kilometers, and then you go the wrong way and hit someone. It's the same thing. You have to be upright your whole life. Regardless of what the other person does, regardless of whether the other person crosses the road. If you are right, you will have contributed to making the flow of life easier. This is even more true in public service."