A Study Of Ethical Issues In Museum Exhibitions

The pursuit of the ideals of 'right' and 'good' leads humans to constantly scrutinise their own behaviour as part of a philosophy also known as ethics.This paper defines museum ethics in a broad sense,as the need for museums and exhibitions to ensure that their day-to-day activities are guided by relevant legislation and ethical codes,and that they serve the public interest of all those associated with the museum,demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility towards objects,audiences and staff,in order to enhance their own credibility and contribute to the long-term development of the museum itself and society.Museums need to include the study of exhibition ethics in their work.Ethical concerns are implicit in a range of processes such as the preparation,production and interpretation of museum exhibitions,and questions of how to do so,what is good to do,and whether they are capable of doing so are all directly relevant to the museum's external credibility.By citing the current ethical controversies related to the new direction of museum exhibition preparation,production and exhibition,reviewing the ethical gains and losses in past exhibition practices,and conducting a systematic ethical review from the above aspects in conjunction with relevant laws and regulations and ethical codes,this paper seeks ways and means to combine exhibition ethics with real-life practices,and provides references for the construction of museum ethical systems and ethical practices in the future.Ultimately,this paper argues that museum exhibition ethics may change with time and place,but museums must still take a universal and basic stance:respecting the authenticity of the things represented by the witnesses,standing for the public interest,following mainstream values,and adhering to the professional ethics of museums.Only then will all aspects of the exhibition be ethically bound and the museum truly responsible to the public and society.