Module 1

Subtopic 1

Understanding Ethics
morality, and
Normative Ethics
At the end of the lesson, the learners are expected
to
1. Define Ethics and other moral terms;
2. Understand how we judge an act; and
3. Recognize why is a person a moral person
• came from the Greek word “ETHOS” meaning
custom or a particular behavior.
• a branch of philosophy that studies the rightness
and wrongness of human actions.
• conformity to accepted standards of conduct
• may refer to rules provided by an external
source.
• Ethics are external standards that are provided by
institutions, groups, or culture to which an individual
belongs.
• Ethics is studied for over a thousand years and its
distinctions are important for ethicists
• Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means
of deciding a course of action.
• The study of ethics is essential to the stable
functioning of civilization.
• comes from the Latin word MORALIS, mos, mor
meaning ‘CUSTOM.’
• as a noun the word was first used to translate Latin
Moralia, the title of St. Gregory the Great's moral
exposition of the Book of Job, and was subsequently
applied to the works of various classical writers.
• rightness and wrongness of a human act
• Actual conformity of people’s behavior to standards of
right and wrong
• It is one’s ability and capacity to distinguish right from
wrong.
• It also refers to an individual’s own principles
regarding right and wrong.
1. Ammoral
2. Non Moral
3. Immoral
Actions or events: those areas of interest where moral
categories cannot be applied.

a. Almost all examples involving human intention,

volition, or behavior are described in terms of moral
categories, ceteris paribus, since such examples
involve the possibility of helping or harming oneself
or others.

.
b. For example, wondering whether one should eat
grapefruit, wear socks of a specific shade of color, or
part your hair on the left side of the head are all usually
considered nonmoral issues. Yet there are
circumstances where such actions could have moral
consequences.

c. Generally speaking, statements in the sciences (so-

called "factual statements") are considered to be about
nonmoral issues as well
Immoral actions or events: those areas of interest where
moral categories do apply and of are such a kind as to
be evil, sinful, or wrong according to some code or
theory of ethics.
those areas of interest exhibiting indifference to and not
abiding by the moral rules or codes of society.
1. He has INTELLECT/REASON (RATIONAL) – He knows
the truth.
2. He has WILL (FREEDOM) – He has FUNDAMENTAL
OPTION – can freely move towards the good.
3. He has BODY AND SOUL (He IS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT)
4. He has CONSCIENCE (He has an inner LIFE AND CORE)
5. He HAS POWERS AND CAPACITIES (He Has talents,
abilities and can move towards self enhancement and
growth)
1. Because we are NOT ALONE, we live with OTHERS (We
affect them, they affects us)
2. There is THE OTHER that demands from us (We create
standards for stable functioning).
3. It brings about Peaceful co- existence in the world.
Relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. While they are
sometimes used interchangeably, they are different.

By nature, Christians believe no man is moral or ethical,

rather that we live in a constant struggle to become
"moral”.
It also know as the Tripartite of the Soul. Drawing on the words of his teacher Socrates,
considered the psyche (ψυχή) to be the essence of a person, being that which decides how
people behave. He considered this essence to be an incorporeal, eternal occupant of our
being. Plato said that even after death, the soul exists and is able to think. He believed that
as bodies die, the soul is continually reborn (metempsychosis) in subsequent bodies. The
Platonic soul consists of three parts which are located in different regions of the body

1. logos (λογιστικόν), or logistikon, located in the head, is related to reason and regulates
the other parts.
2. thymos (θυμοειδές), or thumetikon, located near the chest region and is related to anger.
3. eros (ἐπιθυμητικόν), or epithumetikon, located in the stomach and is related to one's
desires.
Ethics comes down to two basic things:

1. Eudaimonia
2. Arete
Unlike our everyday concept of happiness, eudaimonia is
not a state of mind, nor is it simply the experience of joys and
pleasures. Moreover, happiness is a subjective concept.
Eudaimonia, in contrast, is meant as an objective standard
of 'happiness,' based on what it means to live a human life
wel
Arete is a philosophical term with deep meaning first used
by Greeks. It roughly means moral virtue, and refers to an
innate excellence in all things, and the striving toward that
potential or purpose as a way of life
For Christians, ethics and morals are based on God's
character and law, yet are distinct terms with different
actions and biblical Many Christians, however, define
moral actions as either sinful action or God.
From a secular perspective, ethics change from group to
group and society to society. From a Christian
perspective, however, ethics should be concrete and
governed by God
Module 1
 Subtopic 2
Ethics and Its Branches
1. Metaethics
2. Normative
3. Applied Ethics
is the branch of ethics that seeks to understand the nature of
ethical properties.
Sometimes referred to as ethical theory. Normative
ethics is the study of ethical action. It is the branch of
philosophical ethics that investigates the set of
questions that arise when considering how one ought to
act, morally speaking
1. Deontology
2. Teleology
• right and wrong actions consist in conformity to moral
rules
• obligations based on ethics what one “ought/has to
do”
• “deon” = OBLIGATION
• Practice of evaluating a decision against a criterion of
whether outcome achieves the best result or goal
• “Telos” means purpose or end
• all things are designed for a purpose -what one
“ought/has to be
1. The 10 Commandments
2. The Sharia Laws of Islam
3. Torah: The Law of Moses
refers to the practical application of moral considerations. It is
ethics with respect to real-world actions and their moral
considerations in the areas of private and public life, the
professions, health, technology, law, and leadership.
End of Presentation