Moral vs.

Non-moral Standards
Moral Standards
• Those concerned/related to human behavior,
especially the distinction between good and bad
behavior
• It can also refer to the values people place on
the kinds of objects they believe are morally
good and morally bad.
• Some ethicists equate them with moral values
and moral principles.
Non- Moral Standards
• Rules that are unrelated to moral/ethical
considerations
• Not necessarily linked to morality
Ex.
• Rules on etiquette
• Fashion standards
• Game rules
• House rules
Technically, religious rules, some traditions, and
legal statutes are non-moral principles, however,
they can be ethically relevant in some contexts.
Difference b/w Moral and Non-Moral
Standards:
a. Moral standards involve serious wrongs or significant
benefits
• might lead to serious harm but not with non-moral standards
Ex. Violation of a rule in basketball
b. Moral standards ought to be preferred to other values
• they possess overriding or hegemonic character
c. Moral standards are not established by authority figures
• they are not invented, generated by legislation, ideally , they
are to be considered in the formulation of making laws.
• in principle they are immutable
• their validity lies on their reasonableness.
d. Moral standards are universal
Ex. The Golden Rule
e. Moral Standards are based on impartial
considerations
• does not evaluate based on the interest of a certain
person/group
• It should be free from bias or prejudice
• It should give equal/adequate consideration to the
interest of all concerned
f. Moral standards are associated with special
emotions and vocabulary.
▪ they are put forth as imperatives
▪ If they are violated it can result to guilt or shame.
 3. Dilemma and Moral Dilemma
Dilemma:
• Refers to a situation in
which a difficult choice
has to be made
between two or more
options, especially
more or less
undesirable ones.
• Not all dilemmas are
ethical
Activity:
Share an experience of a
dilemma
 Ethical/Moral Dilemma

An ethical dilemma (ethical paradox or moral dilemma) is a problem

in the decision making process between two possible options, either
of which entails transgressing a moral principle, and neither of which
is absolutely acceptable from an ethical perspective.

Ethical dilemmas are extremely complicated challenges that cannot

be easily solved. Therefore, the ability to find the optimal solution for
ethical dilemmas is critical to everyone.

Every person can encounter an ethical dilemma in almost every aspect

of his life, including personal, social, and professional.
 Key Features:
a) Agent is required to do each of two actions or
more actions;
b) Agent can do each of the actions, but the agent
cannot do both (or all) of the actions. He/she is
condemned to moral failure.
c) Neither of the conflicting moral requirements
can be overriden.
 4. Three Levels of Moral Dilemma
A. Personal
▪ experienced and resolved on a personal level
B. Organizational
▪ encountered and resolved by social
organizations.
Ex. Business, medical, public organizations
C. Structural
▪ Cases involving network of organizations
 How to solve an ethical dilemma?
The biggest challenge of ethical dilemma is that it does not offer
an obvious solution that would comply with ethical norms.
Throughout the history of humanity, people always faced ethical
dilemmas, and philosophers aimed and worked to find solutions to
the problems.
By far, the following approaches to solve an ethical dilemma were
deduced:
• Refute the paradox (dilemma): The situation must be carefully
analyzed. In some cases, the existence of the dilemma can be
logically refuted.
• Value theory approach: Choose the alternative that offers the
greater good and the lesser evil.
• Find alternative solutions: In some cases, the problem can be
reconsidered, and the new alternative solutions may arise.
 STOP

▪ Search out the facts (ask 5 reality questions)

▪ Think of alternatives
▪ Others must be consulted
▪ Pray
5. Only Human beings can be Ethical
This is so because:
a. Rational, autonomous, and self conscious
• Man is the only being capable of certain values
and goods
b. Can act morally or immorally
• man’s actions are the result of his choices
• animals are influenced by their instincts
c. Part of the moral community
• The only being who can communicate in a
meaningful way
 6. Freedom as a Foundation of
Morality
This is so because….
✔ Morality is practically about choices
✔ Morality involves choosing ethical codes
✔ Choosing is impossible without FREEDOM
7. Minimum Requirement: Reason and
Impartiality
Proposed by James Rachels (1941-2003)
Reason
❖ Helps us to evaluate whether our feelings and
intuitions on moral cases are correct and
defensible
Impartiality
❖ Principle of justice, it holds that moral decisions
should be based on objective criteria