ETHICAL CONDUCT

An Introduction
By
M. Saeed Khan

2013
 Definition of Ethics
Ethics

As far as general term “ethics” is

concerned, it is easy to define it as “moral
principles, rules of conduct, process of
rational thinking, which establishes what
value to hold and when”.
 Definition of Ethics
Ethic (noun)
.
1. A set of principles of right conduct.
2. A theory or a system of moral values.
3. The study of the general nature of morals and
of the specific moral choices to be made by a
person; moral philosophy.
4. The rules or standards governing the conduct
of a person or the members of a profession:
medical ethics.
 Definition of Ethics
Ethics

5. The philosophical study of the moral value of

human conduct and of the rules and
principles that ought to govern it; moral
philosophy.

6. A social, religious, or civil code of behaviour

considered correct, esp that of a particular
group, profession, or individual.

7. The moral fitness of a decision, course of

action, etc. he doubted the ethics of their
verdict
 Definition of Ethics
Ethics

8. A system of moral principles: the ethics

of a culture.

9. The rules of conduct recognized in

respect to a particular class of
human actions or a particular group,
culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian
ethics.
 Definition of Ethics
Generalized Definition:

A set of principles that governs the conduct of persons in

human relations for peaceful and progressive living
irrespective of religious, cultural, ethnic and social
differences

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of

philosoph that addresses questions about morality that
is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong,
virtue and vice, justice, etc.
 Major branches of ethics
1. Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and
reference of moral propositions and how their truth-
values (if any) may be determined;

2. Normative ethics, about the practical means of

determining a moral course of action;

3. Applied ethics, about how moral outcomes can be

achieved in specific situations.

4. Descriptive ethics, about what moral values people

actually abide by.
 Major branches of Ethics
Meta-ethics

Meta-ethics is the branch of ethics that

seeks to understand the nature of ethical
properties, and ethical statements,
attitudes, and judgments. Meta-ethics as a
discipline gained attention with G.E.
Moore's famous work Principia Ethica from
1903.
 Major branches of Ethics
Normative ethics

Traditionally, normative ethics (also known as

moral theory) was the study of what makes
actions right and wrong. These theories offered
an overarching moral principle one could appeal
to in resolving difficult moral decisions.

During the middle of the century, the study of

normative ethics declined as meta-ethics grew in
prominence.
 Major branches of Ethics
Applied ethics

Applied ethics is a discipline of philosophy that

attempts to apply ethical theory to real-life
situations. The discipline has many specialized
fields, such as Engineering Ethics, bioethics and
business ethics.

Applied ethics is used in some aspects of

determining public policy. The questions
addressed by applied ethics include: "Is getting
an abortion immoral?" "Is euthanasia immoral?"
"Is affirmative action right or wrong?" "What are
human rights, and how do we determine them?"
"Do animals have rights as well?"
 Major branches of Ethics
Descriptive ethics

Descriptive ethics is a value-free approach to ethics,

which defines it as a social science (specifically
sociology) rather than a humanity. It examines ethics not
from a top-down a priori perspective but rather
observations of actual choices made by moral agents in
practice.

Some philosophers rely on descriptive ethics and

choices made and unchallenged by a society or culture
to derive categories, which typically vary by context.
 PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophy is the study of general and
fundamental problems, such as those
connected with existence, knowledge,
values, reason, mind, and language. It is
distinguished from other ways of
addressing such problems.

The word "philosophy" comes from the

Greek (philosophia), which literally means
"love of wisdom".
 PHILOSOPHY
Definition

1. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual

means and moral self-discipline.
2. Investigation of the nature, causes, or
principles of reality, knowledge, or values,
based on logical reasoning rather than
empirical methods.
3. A system of thought based on or involving
such inquiry.
4. The critical analysis of fundamental
assumptions or beliefs.
 PHILOSOPHY
Definition Cont’d

5. The disciplines presented in university

curriculums of science and the liberal arts,
except medicine, law, and theology.
6. The discipline comprising logic, ethics,
aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology.
7. A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a particular
field or activity; an underlying theory.
8. A system of values by which one lives.
 GREEK PHILOSIPHY
Socrates

Socrates (469 BC – 399 BC) was one of the first

Greek philosophers to encourage both scholars
and the common citizen to turn their attention
from the outside world to the condition of
humankind. In this view, Knowledge having a
bearing on human life was placed highest, all
other knowledge being secondary. Self-
knowledge was considered necessary for
success and inherently an essential good.
 GREEK PHILOSIPHY
Socrates Contin’d

If a criminal were truly aware of the mental and

spiritual consequences of his actions, he would
neither commit nor evenconsider committing
those actions.
Any person who knows what is truly right will
automatically do it, according to Socrates. While
he correlated knowledge with virtue, he similarly
equated virtue with happiness. The truly wise
man will know what is right, do what is good, and
therefore be happy.
 GREEK PHILOSIPHY
Aristotle

Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) posited an ethical

system that may be termed "self-realizationism."
In Aristotle's view, when a person acts in
accordance with his nature and realizes his full
potential, he will do good and be content.
At birth, a baby is not a person, but a potential
person. To become a "real" person, the child's
inherent potential must be realized.
Unhappiness and frustration are caused by the
unrealized potential of a person, leading to failed
goals and a poor life.
 GREEK PHILOSIPHY
Aristotle Contn’d

Aristotle said, "Nature does nothing in vain."

Therefore, it is imperative for persons to act in
accordance with their nature and develop their
latent talents in order to be content and
complete.
Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All
other things, such as civic life or wealth, are
merely means to the end. Self-realization, the
awareness of one's nature and the development
of one's talents, is the surest path to happiness.
 The End

Have a Nice Day

• Aesthetics. .
Outward appearance. The way something looks
especially when considered in terms of how
pleasing it is.
• Metaphysics-
Philosophy of being. The branch of philosophy
concerned with the study of the nature of being
and beings, existence, time and space and
causality.
• Epistemology-
Theory of knowledge. The branch of philosophy
that studies the nature of knowledge, in particular
its foundations, scope, and validity.