Chapter 1 Ethics and Morality PDF

Prepared by: Ms. Denny Vell M. Devaras, RPm Objectives At the end of the lessons, the students are expected to: define ethics and morality as well as its importance to everyday living; distinguish the difference between ethics and morality; and examine their value of ethics as arts an...

Prepared by: Ms. Denny Vell M. Devaras, RPm Objectives At the end of the lessons, the students are expected to: define ethics and morality as well as its importance to everyday living; distinguish the difference between ethics and morality; and examine their value of ethics as arts and science and its branches. Table of contents 01 Ethics 04 Importance of Ethics Ethics as Arths 02 Morality 05 and Sciences Branches of 03 Ethics and Morality 06 Ethics 01 Ethics What is Ethics? What does Ethics mean to you? Definitions of Ethics  Ethics examines the rational justification for our moral judgments; it studies what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust.  Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity  Deals with principles of ethical behavior in modern society at the level of the person, society, and in interaction with the environment and other shared resources Ethics is not…  Ethics is not equal to our feelings  Ethics is not identified with religion  Being ethical is not the same as following the law  Being ethical is not the same as doing "whatever society accepts” What is Ethics? Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics can be construed as theorizing about the proper regulating mechanisms for our behavior  It tells us what to aspire to and also constrains our actions.  It is informed by psychological elements (e.g. sympathy, generosity, compassion, kindness, concern for others, or even revenge or outrage) Ethical Standards include:  standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud.  those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty.  standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy.  02 Morality What is Morality? Morality…  is a set of values, beliefs, and principles that guide an individual’s behavior and decisions  is a code of conduct that is commonly accepted in a particular society or culture.  refers to the distinction between right and wrong, and is usually based on an individual’s personal beliefs and values  Is closely related to ethics, which is a system of moral principles. Examples of morality includes:  being honest  treating others with respect  helping those in need  adhering to laws and social norms. * While there are many different interpretations of morality, all societies have some form of moral code that guides their members. Other examples:  In most societies it is considered immoral to steal from another person or to lie to them.  In other cultures it might be seen as immoral to eat a certain type of animal or to talk about someone behind their back.  It also includes not taking advantage of people in vulnerable positions, avoiding violence, and being generous and kind towards others.  Many people also believe that it is moral to take care of the environment and act in ways that promote sustainability.  Morality is based on personal values and beliefs, so what one person considers to be moral may differ from another’s opinion. However, by adhering to accepted standards of behavior and recognizing the importance of taking responsibility for our actions, we can all strive to create a more ethical world. Why is morality important?  Morality is an important concept that guides the behavior and decisions of individuals in a society.  It is the foundation of ethical conduct, helping us to distinguish right from wrong.  It also involves developing strong character traits, such as honesty and integrity  Morality is an essential element of a functioning society  03 Ethics and Morality Connection and Differences Ethics vs. Morality  Conflict between Ethics and Morality Morality Ethics Morals are what you believe, Ethics are what you do. Morals are often based on religion Ethics are based on logic and or culture reason. Morals usually deal with personal Ethics deal with professional conduct conduct For some, their morality deals more Ethics looks at all actions in general with how we should behave in our – both good and bad. day-to-day lives Key Differences Between Ethics and Morality: 1. Ethics are a formal system of beliefs that guide our behavior, while morality is more personal and can vary from individual to individual. 2. Ethics are usually based on logical reasoning and a shared set of values, while morality is often based on gut instinct or religious beliefs. 3. Ethics tend to be more objective, while morality is often subjective. 4. Ethics are universal, while morality is often culture-specific. Key Differences Between Ethics and Morality: 5. Ethics are transcendent; they govern all aspects of life. Morality deals with specific issues such as politics, economics, religion and family matters. In contrast, ethics applies universally to every aspect of life and when someone does something unethical, it has more implications than just in one area. 6. Ethics applies to groups and organizations, while morality applies to individuals. As a result, ethical practices don’t always mesh well with organizational cultures and vice versa. Key Differences Between Ethics and Morality: 7. Ethics asks people to think about what they do before they act; morality asks people to examine their actions after the fact. 8. In terms of thinking through what we should do in certain situations, ethics tells us how we should behave while morality only tells us if we did the right thing once we’ve behaved in some way. 9. Ethics will help you determine whether your behavior was good or bad, while morality may help you decide whether your intentions were good or bad. 10. Both ethics and morality play important roles in shaping human civilization.  Importance of Ethics 04 Why is Ethics important? Why is Ethics important?  We can think of ethics as the principles that guide our behavior toward making the best choices that contribute to the common good of all  Ethics guides us to make the world a better place through the choices we make.  when it comes to decision-making, ethics is everything 05 Ethics as an Art and Science Is Ethics an Art or a Science? Ethics as a Science ethics involves the systematic study of moral principles and their foundations. This involves using reason and evidence to analyze and evaluate moral claims and theories Example: In consequentialism the moral value of an action is determined by its overall consequences, and this principle is analyzed and evaluated using logical and empirical reasoning Ethics as an Art ethics involves the practical application of moral principles to guide action This requires skill and creativity in navigating complex and nuanced ethical situations Example: in a healthcare setting, a doctor may have to balance the principle of preserving patient autonomy with the principle of not causing harm. Ethics as an Art and Science Ethics can be considered as a combination of both science and art. It is a systematic study of moral principles, but it also requires practical wisdom, creativity, and the ability to navigate complex and nuanced ethical situations. Ethics as a science provides the logical and rational framework for moral principles, while ethics as an art provides the practical wisdom and ethical judgement to apply those principles in real-world situations.  06 Branches of Ethics Four (4) Main branches of Ethics 1. Descriptive (Comparative) Ethics 2. Normative (Prescriptive) Ethics 3. Meta-Ethics (Analytical Ethics) 4. Applied Ethics Descriptive or Comparative Ethics deals with what people actually believe (or made to believe) to be right or wrong, and accordingly holds up the human actions acceptable or not acceptable or punishable under a custom or law. descriptive ethics is also called comparative ethics because it compares the ethics or past and present; ethics of one society and other. It also takes inputs from other disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, sociology and history to explain the moral right or wrong. Normative or Prescriptive Ethics  Normative Ethics deals with “norms” or set of considerations how one should act.  it’s a study of “ethical action” and sets out the rightness or wrongness of the actions.  It is also called prescriptive ethics because it rests on the principles which determine whether an action is right or wrong.  Golden rule: “doing to other as we want them to do to us“  Normative ethics also provides justification for punishing a person who disturbs social and moral order. Normative Ethics can be of the following types: 1. Virtue Ethics - focuses on one’s character and the virtues for determining or evaluating ethical behavior. ○ Plato gave a scheme of four cardinal virtues viz: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude (courage). 2. Deontological – also known as duty ethics focuses on the rightness and wrongness of the actions rather than the consequences of those actions. ○ There are different deontological theories such as categorical imperative, moral absolutism, divine command theory etc. Examples of Deontological Ethics a) Categorical Imperative or Kantianism – Kant said that the human beings occupy special place in creation and there is an ultimate commandment from which all duties and obligations derive. ○ The moral rules, as per Kant, should follow two principles viz. universality and principle of reciprocity. b) Moral Absolutism - It believes that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged. ○ theft is wrong, regardless of context in which theft was carried out. It ignores that sometimes wrong act is done to reach out to right consequence. Examples of Deontological Ethics c) Divine Command Theory - an action is right if God has decreed it to be right ○ As per this theory, the rightness of any action depends upon that action being performed because it is a duty, not because of any good consequences arising from that action. Normative Ethics can be of the following types: 3. Consequentialism (Teleology) - the morality of an action is contingent with the outcome of that action ○ the morally right action would produce good outcome while morally wrong action would produce bad outcome ○ Based on the outcome, there are several theories such as Utilitarianism, Hedonism, Egoism, Asceticism, Altruism ○ The core idea of consequentialism is that “the ends justify the means“ Meta-Ethics or Analytical Ethics  deals with the origin of the ethical concepts themselves  It does not consider whether an action is good or bad, right or wrong. Rather, it questions – what goodness or rightness or morality itself is  It is basically a highly abstract way of thinking about ethics. Key Theories in meta Ethics: a) Naturalists and non-naturalists believe that moral language is cognitive and can be known to be true or false b) Emotivists deny that moral utterances are cognitive, holding that they consist of emotional expressions of approval or disapproval and that the nature of moral reasoning and justification must be reinterpreted to take this essential characteristic of moral utterances into account c) Prescriptivists take a somewhat similar approach, arguing that moral judgments are prescriptions or prohibitions of action, rather than statements of fact about the world. Applied Ethics  deals with the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life which are matters of moral judgment.  This branch of ethics is most important for professionals in different walks of life including doctors, teachers, administrators, rulers and so on Key Domain of Applied Ethics a) Decision ethics - ethical decision making process b) Professional ethics - for good professionalism c) Clinical Ethics - good clinical practices d) Business Ethics - good business practices e) Organizational ethics - ethics within and among organizations f) Social ethics Questions?