Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. define and explain the nature and scope of ethics as a philosophical discipline;
2. articulate the importance of studying ethics;
3. discuss and distinguish the different norms and standards pertaining to right and
wrong/good and bad;
4. describe the moral dimension of human existence;
5. identify the various characteristics of moral principles
6. Identify the difference of ethics to morality;
7. Identify man nature and it acts is the basis of ethics; and
8. Discuss the nature of mores and values in ethics

CHAPTER 1

Ethics: Its meaning, Nature and Scope

(Pp. 1 - 23)

ETHICS for the NEW GE CURICULUM

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS AND LAW

- Ethical rules are necessary even if we have the laws that are implemented by civil
authorities since legality is not identical with morality.

THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ETHICS AND RELIGION

- Ethics as a philosophical discipline, as mentioned, solely relies on natural reason, logic

and experience, especially in the justification and validation of certain theories and
principles concerning good and bad.
- Religion, on the other hand, relies primarily and mainly on supernatural reason, that is –
divine revelation or divine authority.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING ETHICS

1. Ethics means living in proper way and it is in the development of good moral character
and virtues that man finds perfection and understands his purpose of existence. The
Greek triumvirate, the Christian teaching and major oriental philosophers affirmed that
the ultimate end and purpose of human existence is not the acquisition of material
possession, power, and prestige not even the development of intellectual skills but in
the development of moral qualities that makes men unique and supreme from all
creation
2. Everybody aims to have peace and harmony among all people, which is indeed the
common interest of the people and the government. The first way to moral
development of the people is to educate them
3. Without ethics or at least a sense of morality, of what’s right and wrong, good and bad
in relation to their conduct and behavior, people and society in general would naturally
and expectedly deteriorate.

KIDS OF VALUATION AND TYPES OF NORMS

- One very important element by which human conduct is determined and assessed in
terms of its morality is in reference to a norm.
- A norm is understood as a rule, standard, standard, or measure.
 - Specifically, it is something by which an act or conduct is measured as good or bad, right
or wrong, moral or immoral.

FOUR TYPES OF NORMS OR STANDARDS

1. Technical Norm
2. Societal Norm
3. Aesthetic Norm
4. Ethical or Moral Norm

CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL PRINCIPLES

1. Reasonability 4. Overridingness 7. Practicability

2. Impartiality 5. Autonomous from arbitrary Authority 8. Univerzability
3. Prescriptivity 6. Publicity

AUTHORITY

- The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
- The right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or
organization to another.
- Authority is the degree of discretion conferred on people to make it possible
for them to use their judgment.
- Authority is the legitimate right to give orders and get orders obeyed.

IT HAS THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS:

1. There exists a right in authority. The right is given by a superior to the subordinate.
It puts the persons in a position to regulate the behavior of his subordinates.
2. The right of giving of order is legitimate.
3. The right of decision-making also goes with authority. This will enable in deciding
what is to be done, when it is to be done and who is to do it.
4. Authority is given to influence the behavior of subordinates so that right things are
done at right times.
5. The exercise of authority is always subjective. It is influenced by the personality
traits of the person on whom it is used.
SOURCES OF AUTHORITY:

 A number of theories exist about the sources of authority:

1. Legal/Formal Authority:

 According to this theory authority is based upon the rank or position

of the person and this authority may be given by law or by social
rules and regulations protected by law.
 A law may grant authority to a policeman to arrest a person
committing a crime.
 The president of a company may take an action against an
employee for not complying with rules because company rules has
bestowed this authority in him.
 This authority is called formal authority.
 This type of authority is embedded in the bureaucracy where
authority is bestowed upon contractually hired and appointed
officials.

2. Traditional Authority:
 Traditional authority has evolved from a social order and communal
relationship in the form of ruling lord and obedient subjects.
 The obedience results in traditional authority of the lord.
 In a family system, father exercises traditional authority over
members of the family.
 The traditional authority is generally followed in Indian family
system.
 It is the father who guides the activities of the family and others obey
out of respect and traditions.
 In traditional form of authority there is no formal law or structured
discipline and relationships are governed by personal loyalty and
 faithfulness rather than compulsions of rules and regulations or
duties of the office.

3. Acceptance Theory:
 The authority of the superior has no meaning unless it is accepted
by the subordinates.
 Chester Bernard was of the view that it is the acceptance of
authority which is more important.
 If the subordinates do not accept the orders of a superior, there will
be no use of exercising authority.

Bernard maintains that a subordinate will accept an order if:

a. He understands it well.
b. He believes it to be consistent with the organizational goals.
c. He believes it to be compatible with his personal interests as a
whole.
d. He is able mentally and physically to comply with it.

4. Competence Theory:

 There is also a feeling that authority is generated by personal

competence of a person.
 A person may get his orders accepted not due to formal authority
but because of his personal qualities.
 These qualities may be personal or technical.
 The advice of some persons may be accepted even if they do not
have a formal authority.
 They enjoy this authority by virtue of their intelligence, knowledge,
skill and experience.
  When a doctor advises rest to a patient he accepts this advice
because of Doctor’s knowledge and not because of his formal
authority or legal right.
 The patient will get relief only if he obeys the doctor. Similarly, we
accept the diagnosis of a car mechanic without questioning it
because of his competency for this work.
 So the knowledge or competency of a person gives him a status
where his authority is accepted by others.

5. Charismatic Authority:

 The charismatic authority rests on the personal charisma of a leader

who commands respect of his followers.
 The personal traits such as good looks, intelligence, integrity
influence others and people follow the dictates of their leaders
because of such traits.
 The followers become attached to the leader because they feel that
he will help them in achieving their goals.
 The charismatic leaders are generally good orators and have
hypnotic effect on their followers.
 The religious and political leaders come under this category.

NATURE OF MAN

Man is the Only Moral Being

- Man has intellect that separates him from all brute creations.
- Man has the ability to think before doing a particular action
- Man may foresee the consequences of his actions
- He has the capacity to know what is right and what is wrong
- Morality of human acts cannot be applied to animals for they do not possess intelligence
but instinct
- Humans have the power to acquire knowledge from experience and from their
environment
Man as a Rational Being

- Man’s actions are in accordance with reason

- Every action he makes has purpose and meaning
- It is the duty of man to be moral according to Immanuel Kant. Man as a rational being,
means his actions are diligently and intelligently made
- He carefully examines and analyses the consequences of his actions

The Role of Society and the Individual in the Emergence of Mores

- William Graham Sumner, a well-known sociologist and anthropologist, claims that our
notion of what is ‘right’ stems from our basic instinct to survive. That is, human beings
formed groups in order to meet the task of survival, and from living in groups they observed
best practices and developed the most practical way of doing things.
- From these practices emerged traditions and notions of the right thing to do. For example,
for each group of people there is a right way of catching game, a right way of treating
guests, and a right way of dressing up. Sumner refers to these notions of ‘right’ and ‘true’
as ‘folkways’.

- Sumner states further that mores come from folkways, with the added element of societal
welfare embodied in them. In order to preserve society and its accepted norms and
practices, the individual, consciously or unconsciously, defends and upholds society’s
notions of what is right.

- At the same time, the group as a whole develops social rules and sanctions, which may
be implicit or explicit, in order to preserve the group practices and to control the behavior
of the individual for the purpose of maintaining order in society. Thus, customs emerge
out of repeated practices, while from the individual observance of group practices
emerge habits. This becomes the culture of a particular group or society.

- Mores become the compelling reason to do what ought to be done, because it is the
right thing to do to preserve and protect society. Mores exert social pressure on the
individual to conform to society’s expectations in terms of character and behavior — that
is, to come as close as possible to the ideal man or woman.