PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS Ethics
Philosophy
• Greek term: Philo (friend or love) and Sophia
(wisdom) = “love for wisdom”
• The Big Questions
Pythagoras (c. 580-497 B.C.) - Greek thinker. He has
coined the term Philosophia
• is a human search for meaning
• it is man’s act of intellectual quest that
transcends the limits of the positive sciences
• it goes beyond the boundaries of concrete
knowledge
• it is searching the truth
Metaphysics – The branch of philosophy that studies the
nature of reality.
Epistemology – The branch of philosophy that studies
the nature and scope of knowledge.
Value Theory
• ETHICS: the branch of philosophy that studies
and evaluates human conduct.
• AESTHETICS: the branch of philosophy that
studies the nature of beauty.
Logic
• An eye opener for the knowledge necessary in
the study and understanding of higher
philosophical filed.
• Helps to develop and sharpen our natural gift of
human reasoning.
Natural Logic in Man
• Man is rational, and the fact that he thinks and
reasons out does not guarantee that he is
already an accomplished logician.
• What is rational? – Rational- having the ability to
reason out or understand.
• Mind is mature enough to make rational
decisions, people act with logical thinking
remains subject to error.
• derived from the Greek word ethos –which
means “characteristic way of acting”
• “The most important human endeavor is the
striving for morality in our actions. Our inner
balance and even our very existence depend on
it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty
and dignity to life.” – Albert Einstein.
• “Ethics is a normative philosophical science that
deals with the goodness or badness, the
rightness or the wrongness of human acts”
The Scope of Ethics
1. Man and fellow man.
• It deals with the “oughts” or “shoulds” of human
existence in relation to others.
• “How should I treat other people?"
2. Man and his society.
• It investigates how a man should relate to his
community and vice versa.
• "Does my action benefit society in general?"
3. Man and other Sentient Being.
• The proper attitude toward the sentient being
that are capable of feeling the pain.
• "Do we see them in their instrumental value or
intrinsic value?"
4. Man and his natural environment.
• It deals with how man treats his natural
environment.
• "Is it ethical to sacrifice the environment for the
sake of progress and development?"
Importance of Ethics
1. Satisfying Basic Human Needs – Being fair,
honest, and ethical is one of the basic human
needs.
2. Creating Credibility – An organization that is
believed to be driven by moral values is
respected in society even by those who may
have no information about the working and the
businesses or an organization.
3. Uniting People and Leadership – The common
thread that brings the employees and the
decision makers on a common platform.
 4. Improving Decision Making - A man’s destiny is
the sum total of all the decisions that he/she
takes in course of his life.
5. Long-term Gains – Organizations guided by
ethics and values are profitable in the long run.
6. Securing the Society – Often ethics succeeds law
in safeguarding the society.
"Ethics is important not so that “we can understand”
philosophically, but rather so we can “improve how we
live” (Lafollette, 2007).
MORAL DILEMMAS
Non-Moral Standards
Rules that affect the choice of a person but are not
linked to moral or ethical considerations, similar to
ethics people use in value judgment in dealing with
these aspects.
Examples:
• Aesthetics
• Rules in games
• Laws
• Personal experiences and principles
• Etiquette
• Recipe or formula
• Religion
• Traditions and norms
Moral Standards
Rules or sets of guidelines that affect the choices of a
person and his or her belief system and decision-making
process in problems and situations beg the question of
what is morally right and wrong.
Characteristics of Moral Standards
• Welfare of being
• Reliance on reasoning and not on authority
• Overriding or hegemonic
• Impartial, fair, and just
• Emotions and vocabulary
Moral Dilemma
A moral (ethical) dilemma is a situation that involves a
choice, decision, act/action, or solution that may include
an unpleasant problem or situation where you feel you
simply do not know what to do or which way to turn.’’
A situation in which, whatever choice is made, the agent
commits a moral wrong
• Something Morally Right -> Bad Outcome
• Something Morally Wrong -> Good Outcome
Key Features of Moral Dilemma
• the agent is required to do each of two (or more)
actions;
• the agent can do each of the actions, but the
agent cannot do both (or all) of the actions
3 Levels of Moral Dilemma
1. Personal Dilemmas
• Judgment is based on self-chosen principles,
and moral reasoning is based on individual
rights and justice.
Example: The most common ethical dilemmas
involved when you are taking someone to the
hospital for an emergency treatment by car. The
law states that speeding and running red lights
are illegal. However, this person might die if not
treated quickly and they are in your vehicle.
2. Organizational Dilemma
• A puzzle posed by the dual necessities of
social organization and member self-
interest.
• Depending on members' definitions of
self, the organizing dilemma may exist
between personal interests and
organizational welfare, or between
group interests and organizational well-
being.
Example: The mission of Catholic Schools is to
serve the poor by giving quality education. It is
torn between the obligation to charge low
tuition to help the poor and to pay better salaries
to keep quality teachers. The example of the
Catholic School shows the dilemma between
the goal of the school to give quality education
to the poor and so must charge the lowest
tuition fee possible and yet to keep the quality
the school must raise their salary and
consequently, must raise tuition.
3. Structural Dilemma
 • is a conflict of perspective of sectors,
groups, and institutions that may be
affected by the decisions.

Example: A principal ought to welcome and

encourage parents and community participation in
school affairs. Based on her experience, parents and the
community are passive and so the principal always ends
up deciding and doing things just the same. She is obliged
to observe patient and community participation which
does not give any input at all at the same time she is
obliged to accomplish things on time. The case of the
principal whether to be participatory or non-
participatory in school affairs but due to her not-so-
favorable experience of attempting to be participatory
ended up with one woman the rule is an example of a
structural dilemma.