Understanding Civics and

Ethics
Eden Abate
2022.
Defining Civics, Ethics, Morality, and Civic
Education
• A human being is a social animal. He/she
couldn’t live alone.
• Fundamental principles and values to live
together with her/his fellow beings.
• One of the qualities of a citizen is to become
good.
 Continued
• According to Aristotle, educated citizens are
good citizens.
• The prior concern of any state is creating a
good citizen
• Good citizens are made not born. Democratic
minded citizens are good citizens.
 Continued
• The name of moral and civic education and its
purpose varies from state to state. Ideological
difference is the main reason.
• E.g. in South Africa, Right education, in USA
and Germany, citizenship education, and
citizenship and character education in
Singapore. And in Ethiopian case it is Civic
and Ethical Education at high school level. But
Civic and moral Education at university level.
 Continued

• Civic education is an education that studies about

the rights and responsibilities of citizens( the most
cited definition).
• Citizens are a politically organized group of people.
• Civic education as the knowledge of the
constitutions, the principles, values, history and
application to contemporary life( Patrick, 1986).
 Continued
• Citizenship education can be understood as the
knowledge, means, and activities designed to
encourage students to participate actively in
democratic life(ibid).
• Furthermore, Citizenship education also
teaches about rights and responsibilities of
citizens.
 Continued
• Civic education as a way of learning for
effective participation in a democratic and
development processes(UNDP,2004).
• It is also defined as the development of ideas,
behaviors, habits, and useful attitudes in the
individual(Aggarwal,1982).
 Continued
• It enables citizens to be useful member of the
society (ibid).
• Furthermore, Civic education is defined as the
process of helping young people acquire and
learn to use the skills, knowledge, and
attitudes that will prepare them to be
competent and responsible citizens throughout
their lives.
 A maximal and minimal definition of civic
education
• The minimal concept of civic education is
• Content -led,
• Teacher- based
• Whole class teaching and examination based
assessment.
• Narrow Minimalist idea which depends only
on quantitative analysis.
 The maximal concept of civic education
• The maximal concept of civic education is
• Comprised of knowledge, values, and skills
• Aims to prepare students for active responsible
participation
• Extends learning beyond the curriculum and the
classroom.
• Includes all activities inside and outside the school.
• Highly dependent on interactive.
• I.e. teaching needs discussion,debate,oportunity for
students to participate effectively.
 Definition of Ethics and Morality
• Ethics is a branch of philosophy.
• It attempts to understand peoples moral beliefs and
actions.
• Ethics and morality /Ethical and Moral/are terms
used interchangeably.
• Ethics means peoples morality.
• Ethics is concerned with How human beings ought
to live their lives.
 Continued
• Ethics is about what is right or wrong.
• Traditionally, ethics means the activities of
organizations and professional code of
conduct.???????
• Morality means ways in which individuals
conduct their personal, private lives
(truthfulness and honesty).
 Continued
• Both ethics and morality refers to ideas about
how humans ought to act.
• Ethics is about exploring the meaning and the
ranking of different ethical values (honesty,
autonomy, equality, and justice.
• Ethics may shares common ground with the
law, religious belief.
 Continued
• Popular opinion and professional codes as well as the
dictates of authority figures.
• The main ethical question is how to make a
decision (judgments about what one should do in a
specific instance.
• Ethics is the study of moral conduct (the code that
one follows).
• But, also broader than all of these and offers a set of
tools and values against which their appropriate can
be evaluated.
• Ethics is the decision we make about the rightness or
wrongness of any act (conduct).
 Continued
• Moral issues such as lying, stealing, keeping
promise, respecting elders etc.
• Morality refers to the degree to which an
action conforms to a standard or norm of
human conduct.
• Ethics refers to the philosophical study of
values, and of what constitutes good and bad
human conduct.
 Continued
• Ethics investigates:
• Standard of morality that applies to all people,
all times, and everywhere.
• The precise nature of moral responsibility
• The conditions under which one is morally
accountable or responsible,
• The proper end of law.
 Continued
• The description of good person or right
decision (action) conforms some standard.
• Ethics is the critical examination and
evaluation of what is good, evil, right and
wrong in human conduct.
• A specific set of principles, values, guidelines,
for a particular group or organization.
 Continued
• Generally, ethics is the study of goodness, right
action, and moral responsibility.
• Morality is a complex concept. It means different
things to different people (Madden,2000)and can be
viewed from d/t perspectives.
• The term morality( a latin word i.e. Moralitas) is
common in most cultures.
• The simplest dictionary definition of morality is
manner, character, and proper behavior.
• Morality also refers to the concept of human action
• Which pertains /relates/to matters of right and wrong
 Continued
• Morality means the generally accepted code of
conduct in society or within subgroup of society.
• In Socrates words, morality is how we ought to
live.
• Ethics is usually associated with a certain conduct
within a profession.
 Continued
• For example, teaching ethics, medical ethics,
business ethics etc.
• Morality is a more general term refering to the
character of individuals and community.
• The formal study of moral conduct is ethics.
• Morality is related to praxis/accepted practice/ while
ethics is related to theory.
 The importance of moral and civic
education
• To make individuals responsible and efficient
member of their community.
• To create active and principled citizen.
• How to make responsible decisions.
• To solve problems.
• To care about others.
• To contribute to society.
 Continued
• To be tolerant and respectful of diversity.
• To educate higher education (University
students) democratic cultures.
• Ethical values and principles, supremacy of
constitution.
• The rule of law, rights and duties of citizens.
• To produce self-confident citizens who decide
on issues based on reason.
 Continued
To create a generation who have the capability:-
• To shoulder family and national responsibility.
• To enable citizens to understand their rights
and duties.
• Rights and duties coexist with each other. (the
two sides of the same coins).
 Continued
• Citizens are required to have a balanced
understanding of rights and duties.
• There are four interplays between rights and
duties.
• Ones rights implies the duty of others.
• Ones rights implies ones duty.
• Ones right implies the promotion of social
good.
 Continued
• The state is nucleus entity to discharge/to
give/ duties and rights of citizens.
• Moral and civic education teaches political
cultures.
• Three political cultures, parochial cultures,
subject cultures, and participant cultures.
 Ethics and Law
• Law is a norm, formally approved by states, power,
national or international political bodies.
• Law is needed for promoting
• well-being,
• Resolving conflict of interests,
• Promoting social harmony.
 Why ethics is not law?

• Ethics is not law for several reasons.

• Illegal actions may not be unethical. The case
of speeding.
• Unethical actions may not be illegal. The case
of lying. Is unethical but illegal at sworn
testimony of law ..
• A law may be unethical. E.g. USA declaration
slavery as legal