Introduction to Ethics and Morality

Ethics Defined

• Ethics are the principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity, it is a branch of philosophy that studies morality

Morality Defined

• Morality is the measure of the rightness or wrongness of human conduct
• A code, standard, or system of behavior is set in place regarding standards of right or wrong behavior

Ethics

• Ethics deal with human actions and the reasons behind those actions
• Ethics are concerned with character
• Ethics is also known as "moral philosophy."
• Ethics evaluates moral concepts, values, principles, and standards
• Ethics is the normative study of human actions

Questions of Ethical Nature

• Who is a moral person?
• What are the virtues of a human being?
• What makes an act right?
• What duties do individuals have to each other?

Rules

• Rules can be explicit or understood regulations or principles that govern conduct within a specific activity or sphere
• Rules define what is allowed and what is not allowed
• Rules are the foundation for a healthy society
• Without rules, there is anarchy

Importance of Rules for Social Beings

• They protect social beings by regulating behavior and building boundaries that limit behavior
• They help guarantee each person certain rights and freedom by forming the framework of society
• They produce a sense of justice among social beings
• Rules keep the strong from dominating the weak to prevent domination and exploitation
• They are essential for a healthy economic system through regulating business
• Without rules, power would centralize around monopolies and threaten the strength and competitiveness of the system

Moral Standards

• Not all rules are moral rules, and not all standards are moral standards
• Rules are about the kinds of actions believed to be morally right and wrong
• Values placed on things believed to be morally good and bad are moral standards
• Moral standards are the same as moral values and principles

Non-Moral Standards

• These are rules that are unrelated to moral or ethical considerations

Characteristics of Moral Standards

• They involve serious wrongs or significant benefits
• They deal with matters that can seriously impact human beings
• They ought to be preferred to other values and have overriding character
• Moral standards are not established by authority figures
• Moral standards have the trait of universalizability
• Everyone should live up to moral standards
• If Act A is morally right for Person P, then it is morally right to people similar to Person P
• Moral standards are based on impartial considerations, not on the basis of interest of a certain person or group
• Impartiality means freedom from bias or prejudice
• Moral standards are associated with special emotions and vocabulary
• Prescriptivity indicates the practical or action-guiding nature of moral standards

Dilemma

• A dilemma refers to a situation in which a tough choice has to be made between two or more options, especially more or less undesirable ones
• Not all dilemmas are moral dilemmas

Moral Dilemma

• A moral dilemma or ethical dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action
• Either choice entails transgressing a moral principle, representing conflicts between moral requirements
• An example of a moral dilemma is "The weapon of a friend" as presented by Socrates

Moral Dilemma Key Features

• An agent is required to do each of two or more actions
• The agent can do each of the actions, but the agent cannot do both, or all, of the actions
• This leads to moral failure

Levels of Moral Dilemmas

• Personal dilemmas are dilemmas experienced or resolved on the personal level, such as being pregnant with a serious medical condition
• Organizational dilemmas are resolved by social organizations such as businesses and medical fields like life support
• Structural dilemmas involve networks of institutions and operative theoretical paradigms like prices of medicine

Humans and Ethics

• Only human beings are rational, autonomous, and self-conscious
• Only human beings can act morally or immorally
• Thus, only human beings are part of the moral community

Freedom and Morality

• Choosing is impossible without freedom

Minimum Requirement for Morality

• Reason and Impartiality are key to morality
• A principle of justice holding that decisions ought to be based on objective criteria
• Human feelings are important in ethical decisions, but they ought to be guided by reason
• Impartiality means that each individual’s interests and point of view are equally important
• Evenhandedness and fair-mindedness are key to impartiality