1. Ethics – Greek word “ethos” ( custom or character .

“Theory” of right action and the greater good.

Studies the rightness and wrongness of human action.
How people act?

No absolute definition because ethics is evolving or a result of a change in socio-cultural and

political context.

Ex.

ETHICS

GREEK TRADITION
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN
TRADITION
- concept of good life

- discovering the nature of

happiness,

- nichomachean ethics is
- Ideals of
not only a theory of
happinees but provide ways righteousness
how to attained happiness. before God; love of
God and neighbor.

Therefore, we should define ethics based on the time and context.

2. Morality

(DIFFERENCE)

ETHICS
“Theory” of right action and the
greater good.
(Systematic study of the underlying
principles of morality.)
- Basically, illustrate the general
problem.
MORALITY
“practice” rightness or wrongness of human
action.
(Presciptive in nature, tells us what we ought
to do in following the right way.)
 SCIENCE OF MORALS !!! PRACTICE OF ETHICS !!!

*mga pinanghahawakang prinsipyo sa

buhay.

Terrance McConnell, 1994 – “Morality is characterized as an ‘end-governed rational enterprise’

whose object is to equip people with a body of norms.

Morality is guide one’s action by reason and gives equal weight to the interests of the individual
affected by one’s decision.

3. Descriptive ethics

 Mid 20th century according to Sumner, the methodology of ethics has gradually become
more widely accepted.
 Two ways of doing ethical inquiry:

4. Normative ethics – prescriptive in nature, seeks to set norms or standards that regulates right
or wrong.
- Articulates the good habbits we should acquire, our duties and the consequences of our
action. In short, it is what we ought to behave.
5. Metaethics – Descriptive in nature, according to Sumner, it is allegedly constituted atleast in part
by questions of the meaning of the various ethical terms and functions of ethical utterances.
– aims to understand the nature and dynamics of ethical principles, the way we learn and
acquire moral beliefs.

 Normative ethics: DO GOOD AT ALL TIMES! Metaethics: WHAT IS GOOD?

6. Applied ethics – actual application of ethical or moral theories for the purpose of deciding
which ethical or moral actions appropriate in a given situation.

 CASUISTS – adherents of applied ethics (concerned of individual moral problems)

DIFF. FIELDS:
 BUSINESS ETHICS – ethical behavior in corporate world.
 BIOMEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS – issues relating to health welfare
and the responsibility we have toward people in our envi.
 SOCIAL ETHICS – principles and guidelines that regulate corporate welfare within
societies.

7. Instrumentally/extrinsically valuable
8. Intrinsically valuable
9. Objectivism
10. Cultural relativism
11. Subjective relativism\
12. Emotivism
NOTES

PHILOSOPHY

Philo – love

Sophy- wisdom/knowledge

4 kinds of norms

Folk ways – comes from tradition or cultural beluefs

Norms – strict norms: ex. bawal adultery!

Taboos – extremely bad but still practice by majority: ex, incest

Laws: set of rules

Assignment:

Write down an example of an ethical dilemma that you have faced in your own personal environment.