11/1/2016

Ethics
Ms. Vanessa Laura S. Arcilla

What is ethics?
Ethics comes from the Greek ethos which means
customs or habits.
O At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles
and is often referred to a moral philosophy.
O

moral : the Latin mores which means customs or habits.

O Thus, ethics means the science of customs or habits

of society. Yet, ethics differ from moral philosophy.

Ethics vs Moral philosophy

O To establish principles of

the good and those of

right behavior

O To understand and

justify moral principles

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What is ethics?
O Ethics is a branch of scientific study dealing with what

is the proper course of action for man.

As a science, it is normative and regulative. It seeks to
determine norms, ideals or standards, in this case, of
human conduct and character.
O Aims at systematic explanation of rightness and
wrongness.

What is ethics?
As a major branch of philosophy, it deals with the issue
of the Good.
- What is the Good? What is meant by the Good?
O It encompasses right conduct and good life.
O

It is significantly broader than the common conception

of analyzing right and wrong.

O A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life

worth living or life that is satisfying, which is held by

many philosophers to be more important than moral
conduct.

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What is ethics?
O Ethics is the study of human acts from a moral

perspective.
What is right or good in human conduct or character.
O Concept of ethical vs unethical
O ETHICAL: conforming to what is right in the moral sense
O UNETHICAL: unwilling to adhere to what is morally right
O

O Ethics is the systematic study of human action from

the point of view of their rightness or wrongness as a

means for achieving mans ultimate happiness.
O In modern times, it is referred to as rules or standards
that govern the conduct of the person or the conduct
of the members of a profession.

What is ethics?
O Ethics is not limited to specific acts and defined moral

codes, but encompasses the whole of moral ideals

and behaviors.
Ethics denotes the theory of right action and the
greater good, while morals indicate their practice.

Morals vs. Ethics

O Individualized code of

right and wrong

O Standardized code of

right and wrong

Both define what is considered acceptable behavior for

the individual or the group

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The object of study in ethics

O Material object

WHAT you study

O The free human acts which influence and form the way
of being a person
O

O Formal object

ANGLE /PERSPECTIVE from which the material object is

studied
O The moral value of the acts (level of goodness or
badness)
O

Meanings of being Moral

O Moral vs Amoral
O

Indicates a person's comprehension of morality and his

capacity to put it into practice. Amoral" indicates an
indifference to and not abiding by moral rules or codes.

O Moral vs Morally bad (Immoral)

O

Denotes the active practice of set of principles or values

believed to be good or right. Immoral" refers to actions
that conflict with generally held moral principles.

O Moral vs Non-moral
O

Refers to applicability of moral judgment or evaluation.

Non-moral refers to situations or areas where moral
categories of right and wrong cannot be applied.

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Distinction of ethics and morality

(Sullivan & Pecorino, 2002)

O A person is ethical if that person is aware of the basic

principles governing moral conduct and acts in a

manner consistent with those principles. A person is
unethical if he does not do so.
O A person is moral if that person follows the moral

rules. A person is immoral if that person breaks the

moral rules. A person is amoral if that person does not
know about or care about the moral rules.
O Since different principles will produce different rules.

The end of ethics

O The objective of ethics is to define the nature of the

highest good of humans or society.

To obtain true and systematic knowledge of upright and
authentic human behavior based on universal principles
O To establish a series of norms and criteria for judging
human acts
O

O It is the basis of moral reasoning and the root of all

moral distinctions.
Ethics deal with the basic principles that serve as basis
for moral rules.
O Ethics attacks the basis of popular morality, purges it of
errors and inconsistencies, and places on a secure
footing all that is valid and essential in morality.
O

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The Method of Ethics

O The physical and biological method, in which morality

is traced to the conduct of savages and ultimately to

the conduct of animals which seek pleasure and avoid
pain.
O The historical or genetic method, in which ethics is
thought to evolve from the crude customs of primitive
people.
O The psychological method, in which morality is held to
be a phenomenon of human consciousness.
O The metaphysical method, in which morality is
deemed to be a revelation of the divine and is linked
with spirituality and religion.

The Method of Ethics

O The true method of ethics is both empirical and

transcendental. It is both scientific and metaphysical.

O Ethics accurately observes the moral phenomena,

classifies them according to their similarities and

differences and explains them.
O Just as other sciences systematize judgments of

common sense relating to facts, so ethics

systematizes judgments of common sense relating to
moral value, though supplemented by the
metaphysical method.

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Approaches to Ethics
Ethics asks questions like How should people act?
(Normative or prescriptive ethics), What do people think is
right? (Descriptive ethics), What does right even mean?
(Meta-ethics), and How do we take moral knowledge and put
it into practice? (Applied ethics).
O Nowadays, philosophers divide ethical theories into

three areas that are helpful in understanding ethics.

Normative ethics: concerned with the criteria for what is
right or wrong and the content of moral judgments
O Meta-ethics: deals with the nature of moral judgment by
looking at the origins and meaning of ethical principles
O Applied ethics: looks at contemporary and controversial
topics subject for moral debates
O

Ethics and human

experience
Ms. Vanessa Laura S. Arcilla

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What can you say about this picture?

A vulture watches a starving child in southern Sudan,

March 1, 1993

O The prize-winning image by Carter shows a heart-

breaking scene of a starving child collapsed on the

ground, struggling to get to a food center during a
famine in the Sudan in 1993. In the background, a
vulture stalks the emaciated child.
O Carter was a part of a group of four fearless
photojournalists known as the Bang Bang Club who
traveled throughout South Africa capturing atrocities
committed during Apartheid.
O Haunted by horrific images from Sudan, Carter
committed suicide in 1994 soon after receiving the
award.

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Role of ethics to humanity

(BBC, 2014; Landauer & Rowlands, 2001)

O If ethical theories are to be useful in practice, then

they need to affect the way humans behave.

O Ethics is a requirement for human life.

Means of deciding a course of action

O Establishes guiding principles that comes up with
practices and customs that fosters good habits
O If a person realizes that it would be morally good to do
something, then it would be irrational for that person not
to do it.
Any flaw in our ethics will reduce our ability to be
successful in our endeavors.
O

Role of ethics to humanity

(BBC, 2014; Landauer & Rowlands, 2001)

O Ethics can provide a moral map.

Framework to make use of to find the way through

difficult issues
O Offering people ethical rules and principles that enable
them to take a cooler (less emotional) view of moral
issues or problems
O

O Ethics can pinpoint a disagreement

Using the framework of ethics, two people who are

arguing a moral issue can often find that what they
disagree about is just one particular part of the issue
O This can hint a way for people to resolve disagreements
O

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Role of ethics to humanity

(BBC, 2014; Landauer & Rowlands, 2001)

O Ethics can give several answers

Sometimes there may be several right answers or some

least worst answers that an individual must choose from
O Moral ambiguity is hard to live with, since people are
forced to take responsibility for their own choices and
actions rather than fall back on convenient rules
O

O Ethics clarifies the issues

It doesnt always show the right answer to moral issues

O It can only eliminate confusion since a set of principles
applicable to particular cases can give those involved
some clear choices. Still, each individual needs to come
to their own conclusions.
O

Role of ethics to humanity

(BBC, 2014; Landauer & Rowlands, 2001)

O Ethics lead people to decisions

In the past, people thought that if they properly follow

traditional ways in solving moral problems, they would
be led to the right conclusions; yet, ethics can clarify
whats at stake in moral issues
O After things have been made clear, each person must
make their own individual decisions as to what to do,
and then react appropriately to the consequences
O

O Ethics fosters good habits

It is also concerned with the moral character of human

beings (virtues) about the goodness of individuals
O Acquiring good habits helps build personal character
O

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Role of ethics to humanity

(BBC, 2014; Landauer & Rowlands, 2001)

O Ethics give thought to something beyond the self

At the heart of ethics is a concern about the Good,

which could be something or someone other than
ourselves and our own desires and self-interests
O When a person thinks ethically, they are giving at least
some thought to what is universally ethical rather than
to what is relatively ethical
O Universally ethical: set of principles which can apply to
all humans
O Relatively ethical: principles or judgments that hold true
for certain groups of people or culture
O

Role of ethics to humanity

(BBC, 2014; Landauer & Rowlands, 2001)

O Ethics as source of group strength

One problem is the way ethics is often used as weapon

O If a group believes that a particular activity is wrong, it
can then use morality as the justification for attacking
those who practice that activity.
O Seeing those who they regard as immoral as in some
way less human or deserving of respect than
themselves, and sometimes with tragic consequences
O

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Moral Principles for Ethical Guidelines

(Kitchener, 1984)
O Autonomy: A person should have the freedom of

choice and action

O Nonmaleficence: Not causing harm to others
O

Its essence includes both the notion of not inflicting

intentional harm, and not engaging in actions that risk
harming others (Forester-Miller & Rubenstein, 1992).

O Beneficence: Reflective of contributing to the

participants welfare, promoting their positive growth

and development, and preventing harm when
possible.

Moral Principles for Ethical Guidelines (Kitchener,

1984)
O Justice: Adopting rules and regulations, and rendering

services in a fair manner that is entitled to all

individuals.
O

Reasonable judgment and precautions are executed to

ensure that potential biases, boundaries of
competence, and the limitations of expertise do not lead
to or tolerate unjust practices.

O Fidelity: notions of respect and commitment

O

Confidentiality is another component of this principle.

O Veracity: commitment towards the truth

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