Unfortunately, things are not always that simple. First, there is the daunting gap between ethical judgment and ethical behavior. From at least the time
of Plato and Aristotle, Western philosophy has acknowledged a real discontinuity between judging some act as right and following through and doing it.
It is difficult enough knowing the difference between good and bad, right and
wrong. But knowing is different from doing, and not everyone has the fortitude, strength of character, or motivation to act in ways that we know are best.
While many observers expect an ethics class to teach ethical behavior, most
ethicists have the more modest goal for their courses. It is not at all clear, for
example, that an ethics course would have made any difference to the executives at Enron and Arthur Andersen.