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    Document 3

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    Louie Amigleo

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 12
    CHAPTER ! Ethics: Its Meaning, Nature and Scope Chapter Obje: At the end of this ¢hapter, the students should be able to: 1. define and e: lain the nature and scope of ethics as a philosophical discipline; 2. articulate the importance of studying ethics; 3. discuss and distinguish the different norms or standards pertaining to right and wrong/good and bad; 4. describe the moral dimension of human existence; and 5. identify the various characteristics of moral principles. Etymological Meaning of Ethics interchangeably, not just in ordinary discourse and in popular media but also in academic discussions and fora. But are these two terms exactly the same, or, is there a shade of difference between them? | er and morality are two words which are oftentimes used ‘Etymologically, the word ERHHES” is derived from the /Greek word {g{Hid8” which can be roughly translated in English as’ Leer yen moran nse mea Thee custom would also mean here as a form of behavior or character. The (BEA) equivalent (fGRRGHSO is It is from this root word that the term or is derived (Agapay 2008:1). The two terms, ethics and morality, in this sense, therefore, have literally the same meaning. That is why ethics is le yymous with morality. Also because of this, aa te calcd morality, x more precisely, the ober name of ethics is morality. in many instances, we often hear people say: “What he ortho dis worl or ethical” “His or her conduct shows slack of cthics/morals;” “The problem of that person is that he or she doesn’t have a sense of morality and ethics.” “Our primary concen ‘as a people should be how to become moral or ethical in our behavior” Ethics and Moratity Distingutshed ‘Though ethics and morality, by virtue of their etymological construction, and on how they are used in people's daily conversations, share practically the same meaning, ther is, stil, a slight distinction between them. ‘Generally, both ethics and morality deal with the goodness or badness, rightness or wrongness of the human act or human ‘conduct. omy te rected of whether enact la good or bed RGM or wrong (Sambajon 2007.7) Ethics: A Philosophy of Action ‘While’ ‘automatically happen that, 2s a person knows, then he/she does. does not necessarily follow that knowledge leads or results Practical action. « i { | 1 White" ethics (the theory) = Seiden 2:10 hat 5 goad one Ethics. as one particular author beautflly puts i the word while morality is the es. Morality. therefore. is here pty understood as the application (praxis) of ethics (theory) (Babor 1999:8). Hence, we can say that both of them—ethics and ‘morality ~truly need and complement each other. “As ethics ‘outlines theories of right and wrong and good or bad actions ‘morality translates these theories into real actions. Tiaaeamonaliiy (Babor 1999: 9% Ethics: A Practical Discipline i may happen that some of those involved in the teaching of thics or morality may regard it as a purely academic endeavor, ‘There is always the temptation, at least for some teachers, to just ‘resent the ethical theories and concepts as if they are the nda ‘tnd be-all ofthe subject. There may be slso others, whose manner of instilling ethics ‘nd morality to students is through fear and intimidation, even though it has been long proven that it just doesn't work. Today's young generation are practically brought up to question and challenge almost everything. particularly on how one ought to behave morally. imei. sige wipsdy. we dare say 1 confine bis to a purely exercise, just like mathematics or any other theoretical ‘nd abstract disciplines. Ethical theories and principles may. if 3 —E antes, we camestly believe, should be taken not just as an academic study, but as fundamentally, ‘uttwmmpeatilifey” Ethics “should be shown as a discipline which has an intimate connection with the daily lives of man....To be vital, the teaching must be something more than the presentation of exacting moral theories...there [should be} a proper interaction between knowledge and practice. Knowledge serves practice, for each new truth learned is a new reason for a better life” (Baldemeca et al 1984: 85). ‘One must be 80 convicted ofthe correctness of one's thinking that it leads to a real and concrete transformation in one’s daily attitude and behavior, or it becomes, at the very least, the most basic and fundamental motive behind one’s day to. day conduct” ((htnp://en. wikipedia org/wiki/christian_ethics). While Ethics is a subject that can be approached only ‘academically, the learner miay be tempted to study it simply for the sake of obtaining a high grade. One may become so adept at the ‘various theories and principles concerning morality without one ever becoming moral. One may have a thorough grasp and ‘mastery of ethical principles, yet, still at a loss as to their relevance al of the good life itself (GihiesBenigrUe c to Realty would ehode (the person}. (One] would not know the ing poe nas fome) weld ent know show “akemson ot ‘The Importance of Stadying Ethics With what has been said so far, itis now clear why the study ‘of Ethics is very important to buman 4 SreROWIEaRE a wl creme eaaetertinccininnnasiioes, ae (Agapay 1991:3). The living of the (gOSMNNET has always been one of ‘mankind's most noble and enduring is is evident in the various works of Literature, Thi SBN rumnises in genera most cab in Philosophy, and in Theology ot Religious Studies. In fact, the idea of right and wrong, good and evil, though viewed and applied differently at different times by different ‘groups of people all throughout the ages, has been a major and dominant theme of the various religions, cultures, and societies in the entire history of human civilization. Every era, regardless ‘whether it is aware of it oF not, has its own Yeabgg” that defines its Sater cd ol eons “foundation of every buman society. en right and wrong, good and bed in relation to their conduct and Sqawdyomrow Wier onl foncio of onion Big ‘small, the choices and decisions that we make in our individual and ‘collective lives affect also the kind of life we live to a considerable extent. Henceywerbecome,goodand bad-persons ‘through -the “choices we make. end ets, 9 gains ‘ ‘Another important reason why there is a need in studying “@thics is the fact that making moral decisions: is oftentimes: Gfficalt. This is very true when we are confronted and come face to face with wwordPemmas: In here, there is a need for us 10 pause and reflect as to what particular course of action to take ‘The stay of Bthies can provide us with certain moral paradigms or ‘perspectives: that will'in a way, guide us’ i “determininig what's ‘ght and what's wrong under such condition. ‘The study of Ethics will also enable us to reason out our moral beliefs and of why we hold them. It is not enough to have certain beliefs on what's good and bad. We also have to know the reason ‘why we accept them inthe first place. anyone pty attention to them? More important, why should you ‘yourself pay attention to them, if you do not have good reasons for holding them” (Ellin 1995: 6)? Ethics, as a rational enterprise, ‘will enable us to critically examine the ground and foundation of ‘our moral beliefS and claims, whether they are valid or not. ‘Stil another important reason of studying ethics is that W Will ‘eid us to widen our horizon 8 to'what is good and bad. An ‘exposure to the wide array of ethical paradigms and perspectives ‘that a course in ethics provides, will naturally allow us to broaden ‘our understanding and make us appreciate the richness and versity of ethical views held by various thinkers of different persuasions throughout the ages. “[A]n appreciation of the ‘adhere to the values of our [own] specific peer groups” (Pojman & Fieser 2017:3). Having stated all of the above reasons of why studying ethics is valuable, itis also worth saying that (Pojman & Fieser 2017:3). Kmawingahesgnodsieygoodeininette (Though “doing” the good is even much better than “just knowing” the good.) Relatedly and more specifically, apart from its practical benefits, ethiesean {also} deepen our teMtsctionrenthve-utimatc qustioneOPGS YuisisofamlueriNNNeH ... “(Gensler 2011:4).” ifemutimatenwestionssiavolve questions regarding the qeaning ee! “ieltnanaarieheeeeninnes? These and other similar questions necessarily deal in one way or the other, 10 a significant degree, with the question of what kind of life is worth living? As the great The Difference between Ethics and Law But, why do we still need Ethics if we have laws to guide us ‘on how to be good? Are the laws that we have not enough to tell tus what’s right and wrong? Is it not that Ethics essentially consists ‘of rules conceming right and wrong, on what we ought to do and ‘not do? Ethical rules are necessary even if we have the laws that are implemented by civil ashore since legality is not identical with morality. We ean be good in terms of what the law requires but we ‘may sil fal short of becoming a "moral" o¢ “ethical” person. At times, what is legal is not always moral, AAtotherstimesnihabeitie ‘Tuoraddemotelays legs: Rahs isnot identical withbedaw- Another reason why morality is still important even if we have Jaws to guide us in our daily conduct is that danmesnescnhy at a ¥ Bum ame VP * St! SINGS ~ Sens ok ay clechix. aagyernent vw ¥ fs pi 04 socio tec Fun eg a6 HOY, 07 ot just their extemabcondoctandactions; and subject moral analysis and evaluation. ‘earner BORE BEFORE enyeinethisarespest, Eien, ‘ug, gihersoneven-ourseives. ‘Here, our innermost motives and SSoatins ove ey wet cared out conte, A weer the scope of morality. aM ‘ay that something is Individuals favor and decide that a certain act is right or wrong, “Morality is much deeper than that. What is: er even thowgh no one is: Lastly, we still need Ethics éven if we have laws because “fli is because of cthics...that we have laws in the first place, and we continue to ‘need ethics in order to refine and perfect our legal system” (Ruggiero 2001:9). Tous, jaws, mn a sense, are not morally sensible without ethics ‘The only way for 4 liw to be enacted or repealed is for more people 10 make a mature, conscious and reflective discussion and ecision about right and wrong. Making a decision as to what's ood and bad is nota popularity contest. i yore 9 BS i= si gnicg 4 RG Becn renee ax \ow ‘The Distinction Between Ethics and-Retigiom jon that has to be made regarding, that of ‘Another important di Ethics as a normative discipline is it intimate relation with religion or theology. an area of knowledge While many people identify morality ligion, both being concerned with right and wrong behaviour “Hi (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015:26), -‘Ethicwas"a"phitosophical'diseipline, as mentioned, sey Serenata coger ne one anes on the other hand, relies Primacy and mainly on ‘that ie—divie Moreover. ‘& Fieser 2017:3). Again, ‘wisdom of human experience, not om the supposed authority of any ‘holy book and sacred writings. Asa en ‘morality is religiously based may {also} want to seflection and. ‘examine some of their views using reason... ‘common sense.... (Also a lot of]..religious believers...want to be lable to engage in constructive dialogue with nonbelievers and evaluate their {moral} claims. In fact even religious believers {themselves} regularly make moral judgments that are not based Strictly on their religious views but rather on reflection and common sense” (Mackinnon & Fiala 2015:26). matter of fact, er orott ly Biics reson roe pararoes 199 % Con ¢ pater a Anis, * Horna aandnd $08 eqies av HO Yow Bie. o| «Guo urmamacondaet sshich the science of thics | | mainly deals with, Semele ranch or Philosophy. also | aaasblee x ‘as AgrabPiftonopiny. “[It} is that ul i ieser 201731). As wajor Formal Object of Eis i (Peja & ‘The formal object of any science is the special or particular 1 ay tnd viewport tate once employs ean wih ite cae mater area of the philosophical enterprise, thicssniemtay vtealy well as syteratcaly Principles and codes yhether his/her actions conform to right reason which 1 |B immedite norm of meray \ i Due this paricular and special concer, Ethic fers from all othe fis of study which also del with human conductor man at, such as fe sience of Paycholgy, Antronology. Speuogy Coons andthe Ihe, Pater aeeeoce mee ae with te way Humane octal behave, without tling and jing the Aghiness and ronpmess goodness and. badness, of thet sctions. whi _Sbove mentioned fields : " the facts as they are and do not make any evaluative judgments on ca : judgments (Divisions of Ethics Ethics, as a specific field or branch of philosophy, is traditionally divided into two general areas or major parts: mal ‘major parts Saciote tor oxigen gees OS kag as * Genera a Pasha AE ed REOY OHS een) : 2 oy, tach (aw fncigteg & eMrice - THE NOME north, og BBO caeextl 6eeBKe GUANA 6 TT darter 4 _eaestererestieoesoeoarsetthosendyobihies. (The fist par Sf tis book it acully under this particular heading) Generar as mamly deals withthe morabty of-buman act (i major Sesec weer mcnronmancetneinn, “gpecesof morality). | ‘Tee, second part, which is Special or Applied Ethics, heemasocutemes, nch as nte en of gmmnaesine, vg sane | See ‘Richard Gula defines norm os ‘Wamiunatdementebont ‘peta (0 cited in Apapey 2008-77) ‘Seepeieammemation: This is precicly the very reason cram scone molly good and he nt se considered ‘morally tad (Montemayor 1994:17) ‘The cones of good and bad, right and wrong, mora and imme ple ep sone a ad or a ere the primary concem and focus of ethics as a philosophical soins Hwee cy am olan she Sonn a ‘in ane way or the other, clarity how cach area specifically employed the above concepts What follows, in relation 19 the above point, comes from Ramon Reyes in his bok The Ground and Norm of Moraliy. Toes According to Reyes, upon closer analysis of the various ‘meanings ofthe expression “what i proper,” of “wha is good and tight” and other similar expressions, “we can [idenfy and different) at leas four types of norms or standards within [what hecalls 2s) he QaeRROPSSOMNGS |. echnical Norm “This refers mainly toqgmmigenesss hich come from his bodily space-time limitations. This norm has to do with qumak Geaidh and elle Ceol ‘Thus, this]... norm is concerned withthe techniques of “Tigh” way of preparing the fed for planting rice the “correct” way of constructing the roof of a house, [etc.). because of this technical norm certain community members are considered ‘good,’ meaning good worker, efficient and productive. Otters” we considered lazy, good-fr-nothing...” ‘Some specific examples where this kind of nom is evident tr found inthe following statement: that's wot the proper way to ‘ash the dies, “your manner of dribbling the bale ba” “your namy= ic undersind 4 Med, tanndard £ yiequure , Be Sa i name according td Richarch ula. Devtandard a ight £ 610 Crom @ anclare) (jarani, i) ‘way of fixing that broken door knob is not good,” “you ought to do the PowerPoint presentation this way,” “her approach in solving that math problem is wrong.” ‘Societal Norm - “This (particular type of norm! Some specific examples of the above type of norm are “found in such expressions as: “you ought to knock first before you ‘open the door,” “one should not pick one's nose in public.” “it’s ‘not right to talk that way in the presence of vistors,” “one must not talk while one's mouth is full,” “one ought to follow the rituals set forth by her fratemity whea it comes to accepting new members.” ‘These and other similar examples belong to the category of etiquette oF what is known as “GMRC™ (Bulaong Jr. etal. 2018:2). Some specific xgammples of this type of norm are found in such expressions as: "gquntnemunienimamegs.”

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