LESSON 5

CLASSICAL ETHICAL PHILOSOPHIES:

An Introduction
What is their relationship? How are they
connected with each other?

ETHICS PHILOSOPHY
 Ethics and Philosophy
Ethics
 the principles of conduct governing an
individual or group
 The study of morality

Ethics Morality
Ethics is a kind of investigation, which includes
both activity of investigating as well as the
results of that investigation, whereas Morality
is the subject matter that ethics investigate.
 PHILOSOPHY
 comes etymologically from the Greek words
philia which means love and sophia which
means wisdom.
 it is the study of the fundamental nature of
knowldge, reality and existence.
 it helps us better understand who we are,
why we are here, and where are we going.
 Three Branches of Philosophy
METAPHYSICS

What is the nature of reality?

 Three Branches of Philosophy
EPISTOMOLOGY

What is the nature of

knowledge?
 Three Branches of Philosophy
AXIOLOGY

What is the nature of values?

 METAPHYSICS
 it is concerned with reality and existence.
It is the philosophy of being.
It can be subdivided into two categories:

Cosmology
Ontology -inspects the origin and
- Deals with the nature of organization of the
existence universe
 EPISTOMOLOGY
 raises questions about the nature of
knowledge
LOGIC is a key dimension to epistomology

Deductive Logic Inductive Logic

- Moving from general to -from specific facts to
specific generalization
 AXIOLOGY
Explores the nature of values

Aesthetics
-values beauty, nature and
Ethics aesthetic experience (
-studies human conduct often associated with
and examines moral values music, arts, literature,
dance theater and other
fine arts)
 Personal Ethics starts when you take the moral
standards you have absorbed from family,
church, friends and ask yourself:
 What do these standards imply for the situation
in which I find myself?
 Do these standards really make sense?
 What are the reasons for or against these
standards?
 Why should I continue to believe in them?
 Strands of Philosophy
 Idealism
- This is considered as the oldest philosophy of western
culture.
- It refers to the world of minds and ideas, where reason
is primary.
Leading proponents of Idealism:
• Socrates
• Plato
• Augustine
• Rene Descartes
• Immanuel Kant
• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
 Strands of Philosophy
Realism
- This can be considered the antithesis of
idealism, whereby “the universe exixts
whether mind percieves it or not.
- Leading Proponents of Idealism
• Aristotle
• Francis Bacon
• John Locke
• Comenius, Rousseau and Pestalozzi
 Strands of Philosophy
Neo-Theism
- This would date to the time of Thomas
AquianAs (1225-1274) and also known as
theistic realism, whereby “ God exists and can
be known through faith and reason.”
 Strands of Philosophy
Contemporary Philosophies
Pragmatism
- Also known as experiatialism( experience of
things that work). Leading proponents were:
1. August Comte
2. Charles Darwin
3. The Americans: Charles Pierce, William
James and John Dewey
 Strands of Philosophy
Contemporary Philosophies
Existentialism
-appeared as revolt against the mathematical,
scientific philosophies that preceded it. Leading
proponents were:
1. Soren Kierkkegaard
2. Martin Buber
3. Edmund Husserl
4. Martin Heidegger
5. Jean Paul Satre
 Strands of Philosophy
Contemporary Philosophies
Analytic Philosophy
-it sought out to clarify and define philosophies.
This began in post world War I Era and studied
the alienation between philosophy and
science.
-it focuses on political philosophy, ethics and
philosophy of human sciences