Professional Ethics with Values Formation

Foundation of Ethics

c Ethics is the philosophy of life

c Ethics delves into the reasons and logic behind
human action
c Ethics investigates the meaning and purpose of
life
c According to Socrates the unexamined life is not
worth living
c Plato stated that ethics is the supreme science
c Ethics is concerned in attaining the greatest good
and goal happiness

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Foundation of Ethics
c All throughout history men have been asking the
following questions:
q
q
q
q
q
q

What sort of thing am I?

Where do I come from?
Where am I going?
What is my future and destiny?
What must I do to be happy?
What is the cause and the remedy for to my present
problems?

c In elevating this questions we ask:

q

WHAT IS THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF HUMAN

LIFE?

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Foundation of Ethics
c Imagine a home-builder. What is the primary
important factor to ensure that the house would
stand?
q

The foundation, the basis, the premises that it has.

c Ethics has its own premises similar to other

science.
c Astronomy presupposes the existence of stars.
They do not seek to prove their existence but
accepts them.

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Foundation of Ethics
c Science is a structure of knowledge.
c It is a collection of facts.
c Science must rest on well founded facts as
opposed to theories and hypotheses.
c Science may contain theories but these are based
on facts that would be verified in the future.
c A science is not correctly called so if the majority
of its basis is on hypotheses.
c It is a body of knowledge.
How does it apply to Ethics?

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Foundation of Ethics
c Ethics has its postulates:
q

q
q

Ethics accepts that there is a difference between

right and wrong.
Ethics knows that there are some actions that must
be done and others that must not.
Man is responsible for his actions.
If a man does wrong, he deserves to be punished.

c The existence of law is a proof of our statements

earlier that there is a difference.
c We have a government that exists to enforce,
formulate, and interpret the law.

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Foundation of Ethics
c On the matter of opinion, there may be a
difference on what is right from wrong but the fact
remains that there is a DIFFERENCE.
c Freedom, responsibility, morality are just some
abstract concepts but that does not negate their
existence and reality.
c Can you think of other concepts that has
consumed ethicists or philosophers?

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Foundation of Ethics
c Ethics has its own set of principles.
c There are schools of thought as well that are not
in accord with ethics.
c The school of moral skepticism doubts everything
that come its way:
q
q
q

Everything is to be doubted
Nothing is held certain
Moral standards are doubted in terms of existence
and validity

c The school of moral relativism has similar traits to

skepticism in that it makes all truths variable.

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Foundation of Ethics
c Morality in relativism assumes that it is ever
changing
q

Morality is dependent on factors such as time, age,

economic status etc.

c Moral relativism permeates modern thought.

c Relativist cites examples from religion as a basis
of their stand (i.e. Muslims allowed to marry more
than once while Jewish and Catholics are not).
c It is important to note that there is always an
objective value of moral good and evil which is in
contradiction with relativism.

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Famous People Say About

Ethics
c A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon
this world (Adams Camus, French Novelist)
c Ethics and equity and principles of justice do not
change with the calendar (D.H. Lawrence, British
Poet)
c Let me give you a definition of ethics, it is good to
maintain and further life it is bad to damage and
destroy life (Albert Scheweitzer)
c Action is indeed the sole medium of expression
for Ethics (Jane Addams, Nobel Prize Winner
1931)

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What is Ethics?
c The study of human act or human behavior
c The study of ethics is a focused study on the
MORALITY of human actions
c Basic Definitions of Ethics
q

Practical science of morality of human actions

Science of human acts with reference to right and

wrong

Science which lays down the principles of right and

wrong

Normative and practical sciences, based on reason,

which studies human conduct and provides norm
for its natural integrity and honesty

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Ethics and Other Sciences

c Ethics and Logic
q
q
q

Logic is the science of right thinking.

Ethics is the science of right living.
The interrelationship is evident as thinking leads to
action.

c Ethics and Psychology

q

Psychology is the science that deals with the study

of human behavior.
Both ethics and psychology deal with the study of
man and their behavior. They both also study
human nature.
The difference lies in the paradigm approaching
humanity.
Psychology studies how human behave and what
are the reasons behind it while ethics study how
humans ought to behave.
The MORALITY issue is the difference.

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Ethics and Other Sciences

c Ethics and Sociology
q
q
q

Sociology studies society as a whole.

Psychology studies the individual more.
Ethics and sociology are closely linked since
implications to society are also implications to
ethics.

c Ethics and Economics

q

q
q

Economics is the study of allocation of scarce

resources.
Man is an economic being.
Man requires fundamental needs that should be
met in order to survive.
Economics deals with issues of wages, labor,
production and distribution of wealth.
Business Ethics and Professional Ethics are of
particular interest in this area.

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Ethics and Human Activity

c Life is a unity of many facets: sociology,
economics, politics, religion, etc.
c Ethics permeates behavior in all these areas.
c Therefore, ethics can be seen in phases of human
life.
c We pay particular attention to Education, Morality
and Law, Art, Politics and Religion.

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Ethics and Education

c Education develops the whole man.
c The development of mental faculties is the
primary goal of education.
c But the development of moral character is also
crucial to education.
c The constitution states that all schools should
develop good moral character, personal discipline,
civic consciousness, etc.
c Ethics place in education is evident. We are
taught what are the proper ways of doing things.

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Morality and the Law

c Morality and Law are closely linked.
c The emphasis of what is right and wrong is stated
clearly in the law. Are the laws out of mere
opinion?
c The laws of the land are concretization of anterior
moral laws.
c There is however a difference between law and
morality:
q

Laws are only placed to address external acts of

man.
Morality deals with the intrinsic aspects particularly
the voluntariness and intent.

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Morality and the Law

When is one liable legally and morally?
c Murder is an act punishable by law but the person
is not liable unless the act is committed or
initiated.
c The person however is morally liable.
c This reinforces the internal concern of morality.

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Ethics and the Art

c Ethics stands for the moral goodness.
c Art stands for beauty.
c The main question is whether a piece of art could
be considered unethical.
c When art arouses and inspires the noble emotions
of man then art has fulfilled its purpose.

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Religion and Ethics

c Religion and ethics are said to be two phases of
human life that are closest in relations.
c The question on God and the source of morality is
still in debate.
Could morality and ethics stand without religion?
c Some argue that since God is the source of
morality separating it is impossible.
c Do you agree?

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Importance of Ethics
c Ethics mean right living and good moral character.
c The attainment of ethical behavior would result in
a better place to live.
c Better understanding between cultures and
people.
What is the importance of ethics to you?

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