LET’S JUDGE!

SURNAME – SECTION

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1. Hacking one’s social media /
website.
2. Should abortion be allowed? Is this
a religious or a legal issue?
3. Is it okay for gay or lesbian partners
to adopt a child?
4. Is porn a form of freedom of
expression?
5. What should we do with corrupt
government officials?
1. Hacking one’s social media / website.
2. Should abortion be allowed? Is this a religious or a
legal issue?
3. Is it okay for gay or lesbian partners to adopt a
child?
4. Is porn a form of freedom of expression?
5. What should we do with corrupt government
officials?
Learning Objectives
After the discussion, students will be able to
a. define ethics;
b. identify the difference between moral and non-moral
standards; and,
c. give examples of different moral dilemmas.
WHAT IS ETHICS?
ETHICS
• is the branch of philosophy that studies morality or the
rightness or wrongness of human conduct
• As a branch of philosophy, ethics stands to queries about
what there is reason to do.
• It is also concerned with character
(it is what makes ‘what you are’)
ETHICS
• ETHICS is derived from the Greek word ‘ethos,’ which
means “character,” or “manners.”
ETHICS
• Also called MORAL PHILOSOPHY, ethics
evaluates moral concepts, values, principles,
and standards
*because it is concerned with norms of human conduct,
ethics is considered a normative study of human actions
Do we need rules?
Importance of Rules to Social Beings
- It tells us what is or is not allowed in a particular context or
situation.

- Without rules, society would likely fall into anarchy.

*Anarchy - a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority

a. Rules protect social beings by regulating
behavior.
Ex. Cheating on exam
b. Rules help to guarantee each person certain rights
and freedom.
Each person is guaranteed certain rights as the
government in limited in its power to ensure that it
does not become powerful enough
to suppress liberty.
Ex. Bill of Rights (Phil. Constitution)
c. Rules produce a sense of justice among social
beings.
Rules are needed to keep the strong from
dominating the weak, that is, to prevent
exploitation and domination.
d. Rules are essential for a healthy economic system.
Rules are needed to ensure product safety, employee
safety, and product quality.
morality
It may refer to the standards that a person or
group has about what is right and wrong, or
good and evil.
•Ethics – science of morals
•Morality – practice of ethics
Moral vs. Non-moral standards
 Moral standards
• These are concerned with or relating to human behavior
, especially the distinctions between good and bad
behavior.
• Norms which we have about the types of actions which
we believe to be morally acceptable and
morally unacceptable.
• Deal with matters which can either seriously
harm or benefit human beings
•Norms + values = Moral standards
Non-moral standards
• Rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical
considerations
Examples: etiquette, fashion standards, rules in games, and house rules
Non-moral standards are a matter of taste and preference.
Different cultures have different standards
The following characteristics of moral standards
further differentiate them from non-moral standards
Moral standards …
• involve serious wrongs or significant benefits
• Ought to be preferred to other values
• Are not established by authority figures
• Have the trait of universalizability
• Are based on impartial considerations
• Are associated with special emotions and
vocabulary
 dilemma
A classic dilemma is a choice between two or
more alternatives, in which the outcomes are
equally undesirable, or equally favorable.
The dilemma does not typically involve a
moral or ethical crisis, but the person or
character’s life may change as a result of
their decision.
Moral dilemma
• It is a conflict in which you have to choose between
two or more actions and have moral reasons for
choosing each action

a. The agent is required to do each of two

(or more actions)
b. The agent can do each of the actions, but the
agent cannot do both (or all) of the actions.
A moral dilemma is a situation in which a
person is torn between right and wrong. A
moral dilemma involves a conflict with the
very core of a person’s principles and values.
The choice the person makes may leave
them feeling burdened, guilty, relieved, or
questioning their values. A moral dilemma
often forces the individual to decide which
option he or she can live with, but any
outcomes are extremely unpleasant no
matter what.
NO MATTER WHAT THE AGENT DO, S/HE WILL
DO SOMETHING WRONG, OR FAIL TO DO
SOMETHING THAT S/HE OUGHT TO DO.
3 LEVELS OF MORAL DILEMMAS
Personal dilemma
Experienced and resolved on the personal level
Ex.
A friend discovers her best friend’s boyfriend is cheating. She
must decide whether to tell her friend or keep it a secret.
Organizational dilemmas
Refers to ethical cases encountered and resolved by
social organizations (business, medical field, and public
sector)
Ex.

While responding to a domestic violence call, a

police officer finds out that the assailant is the
brother of the police chief, and the police chief
tells the officer to “make it go away”.
Structural dilemma
Cases involving network of institutions and
operative theoretical paradigms
QUESTIONS?
Share your experience to our first discussion.

Share your discovery or additional learning you

acquired today.
References:
• (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2020, from
https://www.blatner.com/adam/psyntbk/ethicissues.htm
• Clever Prototypes, L. (n.d.). Literary Dilemma Definition: Ethical &
Moral Dilemma Examples. Retrieved September 8, 2020, from
https://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/dilemma
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwOQ7ZqDWN4