Introduction to Ethics

Introduction to Ethics

• Ethics is a key area within practical philosophy, designed to provide insights for navigating difficult experiences
• The module aims to develop an understanding of ethics and related concepts for moral experiences

Ethics: Definition and Importance

• Studying ethics and being moral are fundamental inquiries
• Morality relates to principles of right and wrong behavior, and conforming to a standard of right behavior
• Ethics offers direction for people and societies, fostering a sense of morality that allows them to flourish
• Morality addresses vital issues and requires distinguishing between right and wrong
• Ethics is described as the philosophy of life, exploring human existence, actions, problems, and destiny
• Ethics investigates the meaning and purpose of human life

Definitions of Ethics from Montemayor (1994)

• Ethics is the practical science of the morality of human actions
• Ethics is the science of human acts concerning right and wrong
• Ethics is the scientific inquiry into the principles of morality
• Ethics involves studying the rectitude of human conduct
• Ethics looks at human conduct from a moral perspective
• Ethics lays down the principles of right living and guides actions for a well and rightly lived life
• Ethics is a normative and practical science based on reason that studies human conduct and provides standards for natural integrity and honesty
• According to Socrates, ethics is the investigation of life

Key Terms in Ethics

• Science is systematic, derived from established and coordinated principles
• Morality signifies the quality of human acts as right, wrong, indifferent, moral, immoral, or amoral
• Human acts involve actions done with knowledge, freedom, free will, or consent

Importance of Ethics

• Ethics entails right living and good moral character which allows people to find true worth and perfection
• Ethics means developing moral qualities which elevate humans above other creatures
• Education involves the harmonious development of moral, intellectual, and physical powers, with the primary focus on the moral development of the will

Rules and Their Importance to Social Beings

• Rules are regulations governing conduct within a specific activity and serve as a foundation for a healthy society.
• Rules protect social beings by regulating behavior, building boundaries, and imposing consequences for violations
• Rules guarantee individual rights and freedoms by forming frameworks for society and outlining governing principles
• Rules produce a sense of justice by preventing exploitation and domination in order to generate a stable and just system
• Rules are essential for a healthy economy by regulating business practices and ensuring product and employee safety, quality, and stability

Moral Standards vs. Non-Moral Standards

• Moral beliefs are influenced by our own culture and context

• Different societies maintain different beliefs that can have moral implications

• Moral standards can be distinguished from non-moral ones through ethical principles and theories

• Different cultures vary in their moral standards

• Imposing one culture's standards on others can cause violence, or ethnic cleansing

• Moral standards deal with issues that could seriously injure or benefit humans, animals, and the environment

• Moral standards:

  • Are not established or changed by authoritative entities
  • Override other standards and self-interest
  • Are based on impartial considerations and fair
  • Are associated with special emotions (guilt/shame) and moral vocabulary (right/wrong, good/bad)

• Non-moral standards:

  • Judge what's good/bad in a non-moral way
  • Include standards of etiquette, law, and aesthetics, and shouldn't be confused with morality
  • Are matters of taste/preference, and violations pose no threat to human well-being

• Examples:

  • Moral standard: "Do not harm innocent people," "Don't steal"
  • Non-moral standard: "Don't text while driving," "Don't talk while the mouth is full"

Dilemma and Moral Dilemma

• A dilemma is a situation with a choice between two alternatives, each with a negative consequence
• A moral dilemma, also called an ethical dilemma, entails a difficult choice between actions violating a moral principle and involves conflicts between moral requirements
• In a moral dilemma there is conflict involving moral reasons for each action, but doing both is ethically impossible
• Key features of a moral dilemma:
  • An agent must perform two or more actions
  • The agent can perform each action
  • The agent cannot perform all actions
• In a moral dilemma, an agent is condemned to moral failure, having to do something wrong, or fail to do something they ought to do
• Requirements for a genuine moral dilemma: conflicting moral requirements where neither is overridden

Three Levels of Moral Dilemma

• Personal Dilemmas: Experienced and resolved on a personal level (e.g., conflicting promises)
• Organizational Dilemmas: Ethical cases encountered and resolved by social organizations (e.g in business, medicine, or the public sector)
• Structural Dilemmas: Structural moral dilemmas reference cases involving networks of institutions and operative theoretical paradigms and tend to involve multi-sectoral institutions

Only Human Beings Can Be Ethical

• Only human beings can be ethical due to their unique traits
• Humans possess rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness which allows them to achieve certain moral values