MORALITY / NORMS OF MORALITY

Group III
Fructouso , Mark Lemar Langcay , Jezzica Benzon , Karl Naguit , Perbby Subion , Epril Flores , Portia Asis , Sem

I.

MAIN TOPIC :
Morality is a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions,

and actions between those that are good (or right) and bad (or wrong). A moral code is a system of morality (for example, according to a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc.) and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code. Immorality is the active opposition to morality, while amorality is variously defined as an unawareness of, indifference toward, or disbelief in any set of moral standards or principles.

II. SUB-TOPIC :
NORMS OF MORALITY
A standard to which human acts are compared to determine their goodness or badness. A proximate norm is immediately applicable to the acts; the ultimate norm guarantees the validity of the proximate norm. Human nature is the proximate norm of morality because it is common to everyone, and the rules derived from it will be applicable to all human beings. Moreover, human nature, while essentially unchangeable, is flexible enough to admit of varying applications according to circumstances. It is also constantly present and manifest to all humankind. The ultimate norm of morality is the divine nature. this assumes that God is the Creator of the universe and the pattern of all things, that he is Being by essence and the source of all things, so that whatever either exists or can exist is a reflection and participation of Infinite Being. This resemblance between God and creatures-including human beings--should be not only in nature (who God is) but also in action (how God acts). Consequently, the ultimate norm of human morality is the nature and activity of God. A person is as good as his or her character approximates the perfections of God; and his or her conduct is as good as it imitates the activity of God.

III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A.ARTICLES / MAGAZINES - Articles on Ethics and Morality by Gary C. Burger, MDiv B.WEBSITES -www.wikipedia.com / www.google.com C. BOOKS / REFERENCES -Gert, Bernard. "The Definition of MoralitY". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition) Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University. Retrieved January 28, 2011. -John Deigh in Robert Audi (ed), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 1995.

IV. CASE STUDY

Realism and anti-realism of MORALITY

Philosophical theories on the nature and origins of morality (that is, theories of meta-ethics) are broadly divided into two classes:
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Moral realism is the class of such theories which hold that there are true moral statements that report objective moral facts. For example, while they might concede that forces of social conformity significantly shape individuals' "moral" decisions, they deny that those cultural norms and customs define morally right behavior. This may be the philosophical view propounded by ethical naturalists, however not all moral realists accept that position (e.g. ethical non-naturalists). Moral anti-realism, on the other hand, holds that moral statements either fail or do not even attempt to report objective moral facts. Instead, they hold that morality is derived either from an unsupported belief that there are objective moral facts (error theory, a form of moral nihilism), the speakers' sentiments (emotivism), or any one of the norms prevalent in society (ethical subjectivism, in particular moral relativism). The moral relativist holds that there is no correct definition of right behavior, and that morality can only be judged with respect to the standards of particular belief systems and sociohistorical contexts. This position often cites empirical evidence from anthropology of sharply contrasting views of "good" as supporting its claims.

Morality has two principal meanings:

In its "descriptive" sense, morality refers to personal or cultural values, codes of conduct or social mores that distinguish between right and wrong in the human society. Describing morality in this way is not making a claim about what is objectively right or wrong, but only referring to what is considered right or wrong by an individual or some group of people (such as a religion). This sense of the term is addressed by descriptive ethics. In its "normative" sense, morality refers directly to what is right and wrong, regardless of what specific individuals think. It could be defined as the conduct of the ideal "moral" person in a certain situation. This usage of the term is characterized by "definitive" statements such as "That person is morally responsible" rather than descriptive statements like "Many people believe that person is morally responsible." These ideas are explored in normative ethics. The normative sense of morality is often challenged by moral nihilism (which rejects the existence of any moral truths) and supported by moral realism (which supports the existence of moral truths).