REVIEWER IN ETHICS
loosed upon this world”
Ethics - is a branch of philosophy that "involves
systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts
of right and wrong behavior"
Ethics or “Ethos” comes from the Greek word which
means custom or character.
Morality comes from the Latin word “mos or moris”,
which also means “customs.”
Importance of Ethics - Ethics means living in proper way
and it is in the development of a good moral character
and virtues that man finds perfection and understands
his sense of purpose.
Social Science – group of academic disciplines dedicated
to examining society.
Philosophy – study of general and fundamental
questions.
Branches of Philosophy
 Metaphysics – studies the fundamental nature
of reality.
 Aesthetic – also known as ‘esthetics’
- Deals with the nature of beauty and
taste as well as the philosophy of
art.
 Politics – study of fundamental questions about
the state, government, politics, liberty, justice,
property, rights, law and the enforcement of a
legal code by authority.
 Epistemology – study of the nature, origin, and
limits of the human knowledge.
 Cosmology - from the Ancient Greek word
“kósmos”' which means “world', is a branch of
metaphysics dealing with the nature of the
universe.
 Theology - is the study of God, God's character,
God's actions in relation to the cosmos, and
especially God's relationship to humanity.
 Logic – study of the laws of thought, correct
reasoning, valid inference, or logical truth.
 Philosophy of Man – study of all aspects of
human life, culture.
Albert Canus – “A man without ethics is a wild beast
Socrates – “Care for the soul; gaining wisdom is the key
to virtuous life and saving one’s soul”.
• Ethics is originated in Ancient Greece over 2000
years ago as a philosophical discipline. Socrates
and a group of teachers from Ancient Athens
known as the Sophists are said to be the first
moral philosophers in Western Civilization.
THEORY OF ETHICS
Socrates (470-399BCE) - The truth about how to live a
good moral life. What is goodness, justice, temperance?
 An action is right if it promotes our true
happiness.
 True pleasure is attained though ethical living.
Universal definition of justice.
 Observe;laws and limits to lead a good life.
Plato - His moral theory was based on man achieving his
highest good.
 Highest good - It is the right cultivation of soul.
 (inner well-being) + harmonious well-being of
life (eudaimonia)
 Happiness is attained through the pursuit of
certain virtues:
 Temerance, Courage, Prudence, Justice
Virtue Ethics
Plato designated the four virtues:
 Prudence (wisdom) - The Faculty of Reason
 Fort itude (courage)- TheFaculty of Spirit
 Temperance(moderation) - The Faculty of
Appetite
 Justice (cardinal virtues) - It is the umbrella of
virtue that encompasses the three.
Aristotle - believed the one goal everyone strived for
was happiness, or “Eudaimonia” for one’s own self.
Eudaimonia is found by leading a virtuous life and doing
what is worth doing.
two desirable “virtues”, Moral and Intellectual
Moral virtues dealt with emotions.
Aristotle’s view on Happiness
 Happiness for Aristotle is not pleasure
 If pleasure were our highest goal, then we
would be no different from animals.
 We have rational capabilities.
 Pleasure can be derived from wicked behavior.
St. Agustine - His theory is a development of the
freewill defence
 St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Augustine
was acquainted with a version of Plato’s
philosophy, and he developed the Platonic idea
of the rational soul into a Christian view
 From rational soul that is humans are
essentially souls, using their bodies as a means
to achieve their spiritual ends.
 St. Augustine also conceived of happiness as
consisting of the union of the soul with God
after the body has died.
He also based it on two assumptions:
1. Evil is not from God – God’s creation was
faultless and perfect
2. Evil came from within the world.
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) - Utilitarianism says that
the Result or the Consequence of an Act is the real
measure of whether it is good or bad.
• It is a theory in normative ethics holding that
the proper course of action is the one that
maximizes utility, usually defined as maximizing
total benefit and reducing sufferings or the
negatives.
Joshua Greene - Competing Processes Theory Cognitive
and Emotional processes compete in moral decision-
making Impersonal Cognitive (Rational) Processes used
in appraisal.
• Rational: anyone is a rational being.
• Free: all people are born free.
• Unique: - every person is unique. every person
has his private identification such that no
people are the same.
• Social being all and sundry is intrinsically a
social being.
• Sexual: created living subjects are sexual in
nature however the distinctiveness of
expression of a person's sexuality makes all of it
unique.

St. Thomas Aquina’s - He believes that we should

always follow our conscience, even when it is wrong or
causes great harm.

Ireneaus’s (130-202CE) Theory of Ethics - believed God

was partly responsible for the evil in the world, in
‘Against Heresies’.

David Hume (1711-1776) – Sentimentalism.

• Emotions provide an objective measure for

morality based on a common sentiment
towards humanity Although moral virtue is rare,
persons do not act purely out of self-interest.

Immanuel Khant - Man is a rational being.

• Morality is about following absolute rules.

• Through reason alone, one can locate moral
truth.
• The only thing that is totally and completely
good without exception is a good will (desires,
wishing really hard for things)

• Good intentions come from Good Will.