GADTC: Ethics (Unit I)

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS

What is ethics? 3. Applied or Practical Ethics

▪ Seeks to apply normative ethical theories to specific issues and deals with topics
▪ The term ethics is derived from the Greek word ethikos which itself is derived from like justice, Abortion, Animal rights, Death Penalty.
the Greek word ethos, meaning custom or character. ▪ It concerns what a person is obligated (or permitted) to do in a specific
▪ A branch of philosophy concerns itself with the study of morals and their situation or a particular domain of action. One of practical ethics' main aims is
justification. to systematically and philosophically solve moral dilemmas.
▪ Emphasizes the responsibility and capability of the individual to come to his/her ▪ It attempts to solve moral dilemmas, such as the validity of abortion, euthanasia,
conclusion through reasoning and determining which principles are relevant in a and giving animal rights, using elements of both practical ethics and normative
particular case. ethics.

Three major areas and approaches in ethics: The key questions that practical ethics deal with are:

1. Meta-ethics ✓ Is abortion morally justifiable? At what stage of the fetus' development should it be
▪ Meta-literally means beyond or above. illegal? Are fetuses' persons and therefore have rights?
▪ Theoretical and references the moral proposition and how their truth values ✓ Is euthanasia morally acceptable? if so, should we distinguish between assisted
(if any) can be determined. It investigates moral terms themselves and looks at suicide, whereby the patient has made it clear he/she wants to die, and non-
what moral concepts mean. voluntary euthanasia, whereby the patient has not expressed wishes to die?
▪ It is a more abstract form of philosophy that investigates the linguistic meaning ✓ The third area of practical ethics investigates whether animals are part of our moral
of moral terms. Meta-ethics have debated whether moral truths exist, which sphere: if they are not moral agents, in so far as they cannot make moral decisions,
means whether the term "Good" reflects something in the world. are they moral patients, that means do we have moral responsibilities towards them?

2. Normative ethics What is not ethics?

▪ It is a concerning practical means of determining a moral course of action.
It involves questions about one's duty (what one "ought to do") and questions 1. Ethics is not what is legal. For example, hunting is legal but to others is not.
about the values that are expressed through moral choices (what constitutes a Some people will argue that hunting is ethical because it manages t h e
"good life"). wildlife population, while others will argue that is never ethical because it creates
▪ It tries to establish objective and universal moral standards for us to follow; there suffering and pain.
are three main normative theories: 2. Ethics is not what you feel. Our feelings are often very egocentric: what is best
a. deontology argues that to be moral is to follow one's duty and have good for me and my nearest and dearest? But making judgments based on these
intentions when one performs an action. sentiments could be detrimental to society.
b. Utilitarianism/consequentialism argues that good consequences make 3. Ethics is not religion. Religion may teach ethical standards and personally use
individual actions moral, and that the purpose of human life is to achieve religion to guide your beliefs, but people can have ethics without necessarily
happiness. belonging to a religion. Therefore, ethics and religion are not interchangeable.
c. Virtue Ethics/Theory considers how we could become good persons (how 4. Ethics is not political ideology. A political party may share your values and
should I be) rather than look at the morality of actions (what should I do?). offer ethical arguments to support policies. Still, your decisions are not meant to be
automatically ethical, just because you belong to one political party or another.
GADTC: Ethics (Unit I)
Six characteristics of moral standards:
Ethical issues – involve questions of the ethical rightness or wrongness of public
(social ethics) or personal behavior (personal ethics). 1. Moral standards involve behavior that seriously affects other people's well-being.
2. Moral standards take a more important consideration than other standards in
What are some examples of ethical issues? including self-interest.
3. Moral standards do not depend on any external authority but on how the person
1. Examples of a social ethics issue: perceives the reasonableness of the action.
a. Should states allow physician-assisted suicide? 4. Moral standards are believed to be universal.
b. Is the death penalty an ethically acceptable type of punishment? 5. Moral standards are based on objectivity.
c. How does business ethics relate to corporate responsibility? 6. Moral standards are associated with vocabulary that depicts emotion or feelings.
d. How does lockdowns or community quarantine affect people's freedom?
2. Example of personal ethics issue: Non-moral standards
a. What principles do I apply the way I treat other people? • It can be considered as relative standards by which something or someone is judged
b. What guides my own choices and my own goals in life? as either good or bad. The rules of non-moral standards vary because these rules
c. Should I have the same expectations of others in terms of their behavior depend on the guidelines agreed by a particular group.
and choices as I have of myself?
Example:
MORALITY
What is morality? ✓ The males should be the one to propose marriage not females.
• It is a system of beliefs of what is right and wrong behavior. Morality deals with ✓ Go with the fashion or you are not in.
how the person relates with others and with the world to promote the good. ✓ If you are a male, stay by the danger side (road side) when walking with a
• According to James Rachel, morality is to act based on reason-giving equal weight female.
to the interest of everyone affected by one's decisions.
Moral standards vs other rules in life:
What are moral and non-moral standards? Rules
Moral standard • These statements tell you what is or is not allowed in a particular situation. In a
• It is a code of right or wrong without reference to specific behavior or beliefs. broad sense, rules are placed to manage harmful behaviors; it hopes to prevent
Moral standards deal with matters that the person thinks have serious chaos and encourage stability.
consequences. However, these standards are not hinged on external authority or
rule but based on good reason and impartial consideration overriding self-interest. Type of Rules

Examples of mora standard: 1. Etiquette – rules how an individual should responsibly behave in society. Ex.
✓ Stealing is wrong (table manners).
✓ Killing is wrong 2. Policy is a simple statement of how an organization plans to handle its services,
✓ Freedom with responsibility is the right way action, or business.
✓ Don’t cheat others 3. Law is a rule created and enforced by the government and its agencies to maintain
order, resolve disputes, and protect a person's liberty and rights.
4. Commandment - rule that is to be strictly observed because it was said to be set
by a divine entity.
GADTC: Ethics (Unit I)

Moral Dilemma
• It is a situation in which a difficult choice must be made between two or more
alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.

A moral dilemma is a situation where:

1. There are two or more actions that you can possibly do.
2. There is a moral reason(s) for doing the actions.
3. You cannot do all possible actions presented to you. You only need to choose one.

Three levels of Moral dilemma

1. Personal moral dilemma

▪ It is when your decision in a situation where there is moral conflict is the
cause of either your own, that of another person, or a group of people's
potential harm.
2. Organizational moral dilemma
▪ Example: business owner whose choice will adversely affect either the
company or the employees.
3. Structural moral dilemma.
▪ Example: Government official who needs to choose between implementing
or not implementing a policy not because it will affect the poor
communities; by not implementing it will also affect the environment.

Prepared by:

Chriztino I M. Gerona – IAS Instructor