Central Concepts in Ethics

Fundamentals of Moral
Philosophy
Introduction to Ethics
Etymology Meaning of Ethics
• The word ethics come from the Greek word ethos,
meaning character or custom.
• The etymology of ethics suggests its basic
concerns:
 Individual character
 The social rules that govern and limit our behavior.
Etymology Meaning of Ethics
• Ethics is a branch of philosophy which deals with
moral standards, inquiries about the rightness or
wrongness of human behavior or the goodness or
badness of personality, trait or character.
• Ethics is a study of the morality of human acts and
moral agents.
Etymology Meaning of Ethics
• Moral is the adjective describing a
human act as either ethically right or
wrong, or qualifying a person,
personality, character, as either ethically
good or bad.
Etymology Meaning of Ethics
• Morality refers to human conduct and values
and ethics refers to the study of those areas.
• Morals and moral refer to the conduct itself,
whereas ethics and ethical refer to the study
of moral conduct or to the code of conduct.
Etymology Meaning of Ethics
• Ethical and moral describe people
we consider right.
• Unethical and immoral describe bad
people and wrong action.
Etymology Meaning of Ethics
• Amoral means having no moral sense
or being indifferent to right and wrong.
• Nonmoral means out of the realm of
morality altogether.
Definitions and Purpose of Ethics
• Ethics is the study of the moral behavior
or conduct of man as viewed from
ultimate principles
• Ethics is a philosophical science dealing
with the morality of the human acts.
Definitions and Purpose of Ethics
• Other books dealing on this subject offer the following definitions:
1. Ethics is the science of human acts with reference to right
and wrong.
2. Ethics is the study of the rectitude of human conduct.
3. Ethics is the scientific inquiry into the principles of morality.
4. Ethics is the practical science of the morality of human
actions.
Division Ethics
• General Ethics presents truths
about human acts.
Social Ethics
• Special Ethics is applied ethics.
oIn the family
 Individual Ethics oIn the state
o As regards God
o As regards self oIn the world
o As regards fellowmen
The Importance of Rules
• Rules are important to social beings.
• Rules are meant to set order.
• Rules are not meant to restrict your
freedom.
 Moral Standards or Moral
Frameworks and Non-Moral
Standards
Introduction to Ethics
Moral Standards
• Are norms or prescriptions that serve as
the frameworks for determining what
ought to be done or what is right or
wrong action, what is good or bad
character.
Moral Standards
• Are either consequences standards or non-
consequence standards.
• The consequence standards depend on results or
outcome.
• The non-consequence standards are based on the
natural law.
Examples of Moral Standards
• Stealing is wrong.
• Killing is wrong.
• Telling lies is wrong.
• Adultery is wrong.
Examples of Moral Standards
• Environment preservation is the right thing
to do.
• Freedom with responsibility is the right way.
• Giving what is due to others is justice.
Non-moral Standards
• Are social rules, demands of
etiquette and good manners. They
are guides of action which should be
followed as expected by society.
Examples of Non-moral Standards
• Rules of good manners and right conduct.
• Etiquette
• Rules of behavior set by parents and teachers.
• Standards of grammar or language.
• Standards of art.
• Standards of sports set by other authorities.
Activity
• No talking while your mouth is full.
(non-moral standards)
• Do not lie.
(moral standards)
Activity
• Don’t steal.
(moral standards)
• Observe correct grammar when writing and
speaking English.
(non-moral standards)
Activity
• Submit school requirements on time.
(non-moral standards)
• If you are a male, stay by the danger side
(roadside) when walking with a female.
(non-moral standards)
Activity
• Go with the fashion or you are not “in”.
(non-moral standards)
• Don’t cheat others.
(moral standards)
Activity
• Don’t kill.
(moral standards)
• When you speak pronounce words correctly.
(non-moral standards)
Activity
• Focus on the microscope properly.
(non-moral standards)
• Maintain a 36-24-36 body figure.
(non-moral standards)
 Classification of the Theories of Moral
Standards
• Consequence Standard (teleological)
•States that an act is right or wrong
depending on the consequences of the
act, that is, the good that is produced in
the world.
 Classification of the Theories of Moral
Standards
• Not-only-consequence Standard (deontological)
• Holds that the rightness or wrongness of an
action or rule depends on sense of duty,
natural law, virtue and the demand of the
situation or circumstances.
Moral Dilemma
Introduction to Ethics
Meaning of Moral Dilemma
• A moral dilemma is a problem in the decision-
making between two possible options, neither
of which is acceptable from an ethical
perspective. It is also referred to as ethical
dilemma.
Example:
• A pregnant women leading a group of five people out of a cave on
a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In short time, high tide
will be upon them and unless she is unstuck, they will all be
drowned except the women whose head is out of the cave.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, someone has with him a stick of
dynamite. There seems no way to get the pregnant woman loose
without using the dynamite which will inevitably kill her; but if they
do not use it everyone else will drown. What should they do?
Example:
• In the case of the Pregnant and the Dynamite,
there were two options – use the dynamite and kill
the pregnant woman but save the other 5 or don’t
use the dynamite and all the 5 will get drowned
except the pregnant woman whose head is out.
Example:
• Having to choose between saving
a dog from a fire or saving your
sister.
Meaning of a False Dilemma
• A false dilemma is a situation where the
decision-maker has a moral duty to do one
thing but is tempted or under pressure to do
something else. A false dilemma is a choice
between a right and a wrong.
Resolving Moral Dilemma
•To think of available alternative
options.
•Choosing the greater good and
lesser evil.