What is Philosophy?

Etymology of the term philosophy

Philos = Love
Sophia = Wisdom
Philosophy is the love of wisdom and philosophers are lovers of wisdom

Doing a quick research:

If Ethics is one of the branches of philosophy, what are the other branches?
 ETHICS AS A DISCIPLINE
LESSON 1
INTRODUCTION

Ethics is a philosophical discipline which

concerns primarily on the rightness and the
wrongness of an action. It is thus considered
vital to know the importance of rules as guide
for order that our knowing of them is a
requisite of our translation of them into action
– that Ethics and Morality are inseparable in
relation to the reality of a morally upright man.
To be upright is ideally and rationally
everybody’s business.
LESSON OBJECTIVES

 Identify the similarities and differences

between Ethics and Morality;
 Compare moral and non-moral standards;
 Determine the necessary role of Ethics in the
society
ON ETHICS AND MORALITY

 Ethics is a “philosophical discipline that

provides the principles on the morality of
human acts.
 It equips man with a theoretical knowledge
of the morality of human acts” (Babor,
2010). It is derived from the Greek word
‘ethos’ in English custom (Glenn, 1968).
ON ETHICS AND MORALITY

 Morality refers to the extent to which an action is

right or wrong.
 “It concerns the recognition of the inherent value of
people, both ourselves and others, a value that is not
reducible to how others benefit us” (Martin, 2001).
 “It is the application of the theories of ethics” (Babor,
2010). When one does the application, “he or she is
already in the ambiance of morality” (Babor, 2010).
 It is derived from the Latin word ‘mos or mor’ which
means custom” (Glenn, 1968).
ON MORAL STANDARD

 Moral standards deal with matters that can benefit or

seriously injure human beings. e.g., fraud, slander, rape,
robbery, and murder.
 Those acts that can cause benefits are labeled as “moral”
and those which can cause harm are considered
“immoral”.
 Hence, it is necessary that our moral standards are those
which can cause benefit with others.
ON MORAL STANDARDS

 They are to be preferred than other values,

including self-interest. E.g., honesty is to be
preferred than cheating, although cheating can
make me graduate.
 In connection with the moral standard, stress the
importance of universal reasonableness as a
necessary attribute of every rule.
ON MORAL STANDARDS

 Some of them reflect moral standard and some do not.

 Non-compliance with the moral standards seriously injure us.
 Non-compliance with them does always engender immediate
and visible harmful effects.
 All rules reflecting moral standards, whether or not complied,
have a communitarian dimension. Individual responsibility
cannot be taken in isolation from social responsibility.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE USUAL RULES OF OUR LIVES:

1. Etiquette – standards by which we judge manners

to be good or bad; normally dictated by socio-
economic elite.
2. Legal – by which we judge legal right and wrong; in a democracy, formulated by
representatives of the people.

3. Language – by which we judge what is grammatically right or wrong; evolve in

the course of time.
4. Aesthetics - by which we judge good and bad art; usually dictated by a small
circle of art connoisseurs.

5. Athletic – by which we judge how good or bad a game is played; usually

formulated by governing bodies.