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Part 1 Basic Ethical Concepts
Part 1 Basic Ethical Concepts
Teachers’ Notes
Emmarlone Salva Ravago | August 18, 2022
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Ethics
What is Ethics?
• Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos (ἦ θος) which means “character” or “moral
nature.”
• Its Latin equivalent mos means “tradition, custom” (hence the term “morality”).
• It is the science of the morality of human acts. It is the branch of philosophy that is
concerned with the whole question of right and wrong, good and bad in human
action.
1. is able to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and
immoral;
2. feels within himself an obligation to do what is good and avoid what is evil; and
• Because of these, we can say that man is endowed by nature with a moral sense—he is
conscious of his moral capacity and responsibility, and therefore must submit to the
study of what is good and what is wrong.
• As such, man is expected to act morally, that is, according to the dictates of his reason.
• The study of ethics requires one to reflectively distance oneself from oneself and
from society in order to critically examine their moral standards.
Specifically, it looks at the values beneath these moral standards (i.e., the
what or the why behind them).
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It turns at the agent who makes the moral decision, especially to her level of
moral development (i.e., the who).
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Why Study Ethics?
1. Ethics helps you identify different kinds of moral values, and distinguish them
from other kinds of values
• Values are an essential part of life. They are responsible for how we see and
why we choose or do something. They help explain why we are different
from each other. Why a student who values his studies, for example, stays up
late during exams; or why a person who values his health sleeps early.
• There are many kinds of values, and not all values are equal. Some values,
like moral values, are more fundamental while others are mere preferences,
like our preferred food, car model, or fashion.
• Ethics helps you define what moral values are. It provides you with the
criteria for identifying and distinguishing them from other values.
• It helps you understand why moral values such as honesty and responsibility
are more important than non-moral ones, and how they are related to our
rights and responsibilities as human beings.
• On a practical level, it helps you see the real value of things and what being
morally good truly means in today’s value-driven world.
2. Ethics helps you see what moral values are at stake in a variety of situations
• Everyone has had the experience of looking at something a second time and
noticing many things that one previously missed. One reason for this
difference in perception is that one has learned more about what to look for
in such things.
• The same happens when you study ethics. Ethics allows you to see situations
—particularly dilemmas—from an “axiological” perspective (meaning from
the perspective of value).
• This helps you judge a situation’s moral significance more objectively, weigh
its available choices carefully, and react properly.
• Ethics also helps you understand why people think, choose and act
differently from each other even given the same situation.
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3. Ethics helps you decide what to do when faced with difficult moral choices
• You heard it said, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Ethics helps you think ahead
and prepare for morally difficult situations.
• Its case studies allow you to exercise your moral imagination, to envision and
even feel the complexity and intensity of moral dilemmas in order to solve them.
• Moreover, ethics equips you with principles and processes that guide your moral
reasoning and help you arrive at sound moral decisions.
• Although it’s impossible to fully prepare for future events, studying ethics and
thinking about difficult situations in advance are definitely more helpful to
decision making than not doing them. After all, you may not have the time or
clarity of mind to think through such situations once they show up.
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Moral Standards
• There are many kinds of rules in society (ex. dining etiquette, language grammar,
sports rules). They exist to give order and maintain peace in society.
• But one of the most important rules that all of us have to follow in order to ensure
everyone’s wellbeing is what is called a “moral standard”.
• A moral standard is a norm which a society (or an individual) has regarding which
actions are morally right and which actions are morally wrong.
• Moral standards
1. Deal with matters that can seriously harm or benefit human beings, such as
theft, rape, murder, etc.;
2. Their validity depends on the sufficiency of the reasons that support and
justify them;
This means that their value and authority are not merely based on the
decision of the majority or of the authorities, but rather on their
soundness. For example, that one ought to tell the truth does not depend
on how many people will vote on it, nor on the legislature, but rather
because it is the sound and right thing to do.
3. Are to be preferred over other values, even self-interest (ex. being honest is
to be preferred over cheating, although cheating can help me graduate);
Killing, for example, can make a person feel deep and serious guilt and
regret, while saving the life of another makes one feel proud and
praiseworthy.
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Moral Standards vs. Non-Moral Standards
• First of all, it is important to note that different societies have different moral beliefs.
• For this reason, some values may have moral implications for one society, while none
for another.
• For example, the wearing of a hijab for women in traditional Muslim communities.
Western people may pity Muslim women for wearing a hijab, while some
Muslims may find women who wear daring clothes immoral.
• This clearly shows that different cultures have different moral standards: what is a
matter of moral indifference for one culture may be morally significant in another.
• Now the danger here is that one culture may impose its own cultural standards on
another, resulting in a clash in cultural beliefs and values.
• And as we have seen in history, this is usually done with violence, such as in religious
wars and ethnic cleansings.
• This is where the importance of understanding the difference between moral standards
and non-moral ones comes in.
• In other words, if we know that a certain standard is based on a non-moral value, such
as etiquette, aesthetics, etc.—and is therefore a non-moral standard—then we do not
have the right to impose it on others.
• However, if such a standard were moral, that is, based on a moral value, such as not
stealing or killing people, then we may have the right to force others to act accordingly.
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• In this way, we may be able to find a common moral ground, such as agreeing not to
steal, kill, and deceive other human beings.
• If a moral standard says, “do not harm innocent people or don't steal”, a non-moral
standard says “don't text while driving or don't talk while your mouth is full”.
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Moral Dilemmas
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1. The person or agent of a moral action should be obliged to make a decision
about which course of action is best.
Going back to Mary’s case, she was obliged to choose either to
continue her pregnancy or to have an abortion.
2. There must be different courses of action to choose from. In other words,
there must be at least two conflicting options.
Mary had at least two options: to continue her pregnancy or to have an
abortion.
3. No matter what course of action is taken, some moral principles are always
compromised. This means that there are no perfect solutions for moral
dilemmas.
Whether Mary chooses to continue her pregnancy or to have an
abortion, the basic moral principle of protecting life (hers and/or her
baby’s) will be compromised.
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The Heinz Dilemma: A Sample Moral Dilemma
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