Introduction to Ethics

Ethics

• Ethics are external rules or societal norms for conduct within a group or culture
• Morality is personal principles regarding what is right or wrong

Branches of Ethics

• Descriptive Ethics (Comparative Ethics): examines what people believe is right or wrong
• Normative Ethics (Prescriptive Ethics): deals with standards for how one should act
• Meta-Ethics (Analytical Ethics): explores the origin of ethical concepts
• Applied Ethics: the application of ethical considerations to specific areas of life

Kinds of Valuation

• Aesthetic: standards of beauty or taste in art
• Etiquette: polite/impolite behavior
• Technical: methods of doing things

Kinds of Action

• Morally Permissible: actions that are allowed but not required
• Morally Obligatory/Required: actions that are morally right and must be done
• Morally Supererogatory: actions that are praiseworthy and heroic but are not required
• Morally Prohibited/Impermissible: actions that are morally wrong and must not be done

Moral Dilemmas

• Situations requiring a choice between conflicting options, none of which are fully acceptable

Levels of Moral Dilemma

• Individual: judgments based on personal principles
• Organizational: judgments/decisions made by a social group
• Structural: judgments that affect a group or society's institutions/theoretical frameworks

Freedom and Responsibility

• Freedom: the ability to act without undue constraint
• Responsibility: accountability for one's actions and consequences

Reason and Impartiality

• Reason: the basis for actions, decisions, and convictions, using logic
• Impartiality: the idea that everyone's interests are equally important

Theories

• Utilitarianism/Teleological: assessing actions based on their consequences
• Kantian Ethics/Deontological: assessing actions based on their inherent rightness or wrongness, regardless of consequences

Culture

• Culture: a collective way of life and how people do things
• Enculturation: learning and internalizing cultural values and norms
• Acculturation: modifying based on another culture's traits
• Relativism: actions are right/wrong based on the culture

Inculturation

• Missiological process by which the Gospel is rooted in, and transforms, a particular culture

Ethical Terms

• Moral Norms: standards/prescriptions that define right/wrong actions
• Nonmoral Norms/Folkways: standards for judging actions that are not concerned with morality (good/bad)

This quiz covers the basic concepts and branches of ethics, including descriptive, normative, meta-ethics, and applied ethics. It also explores different kinds of valuation and actions based on moral principles. Test your understanding of ethical frameworks and moral responsibilities.