Moral & Civic

education

Chapter two

1
 Normative ethics
 Offers theories or accounts of the best way to live.
 These theories evaluate actions in a systematic way, i.e.,
 they may focus on outcomes or duties or motivation as a means
of justifying human conduct.
 Includes ethical theories or approaches such as utilitarianism,
deontology, virtue ethics, principlism, narrative ethics and
feminist ethics.

2
2.1. Teleological/Consequentialism ethics
 Focus on the consequence of the action in order to measure the
rightness or wrongness of an action.

 An action can be right if it promotes or brings good results.
 So to come at right decisions, we need to weigh the cost and benefit,
or the good side and bad side of the action, and then pass our
judgments.
 the standard of right and wrong cannot be simply the prevailing set of
moral rules, alternative standards were offered by moral
philosophers. Their views have been two sorts
 (1) deontological theories and
3

 (2) teleological ones

 Cont…
 The ultimate standard of what is morally right, wrong,


obligatory, etc., is the non-moral value that is brought into
being.
 an act is right if and only if it or the rule under which it falls
produces,
 will probably produce,
 or is intended to produce at least as great a balance of good over
evil as any available alternative;
 an act is wrong if and only if it does not do so.


4
 Cont…
 for a teleologist the moral quality or value of actions,


persons, or traits of character, is dependent on the
comparative non moral value of what they bring about or
try to bring about.
 Teleological theories, then,
 make the right,
 the obligatory, and
 the morally good dependent on the non-morally good.

5
 Cont…
Teleologists have often been hedonists, identifying the

good with pleasure and evil with pain,
But they may be and have sometimes been non-
hedonists, identifying the good with power, knowledge,
self-realization, perfection.
Deontological theories :
Deny the right, the obligatory, and the morally good are
wholly.
there are other considerations that may make an action or
rule right or obligatory besides the goodness or badness
of its consequences.
6
 Cont…

 CONSEQUENTIALIST ETHICS
 This theory is some times called teleological theories
 This is based on weighting the consequences of our actions.
 According to this correct moral conduct is determined solely by a
cost benefit analysis of an action's consequences.
 For this theory An action is morally right if the consequences of
that action are more favorable than unfavorable. If the good
consequences are greater, then the action is morally proper and
vice.
 the most attractive feature of consequentialism is that it appeals to
publicly observable consequences of actions
7
 Cont…
 For this theory the end is the sole determining factor of its
morality.

 Three subdivision of the theory
 Ethical Egoism:
 an action is morally right if the consequences of that action
are more favorable than unfavorable only to the agent
performing the action.
 The theory implies that we ought to be selfish
 ethical egoism is a theory that advocates egoism as a moral
rule.
 You should look after yourself
 Utilitarianism:
 an action is morally right if the consequences of that action
8
are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone.
 Cont…(new)
 Classic Utilitarianism


 Appear in the writing of Bentham and Stuart Mill
 They were the nonreligious ancestors
 Jeremy Bentham: Quantity over Quality
 For him two utilitarianism
 The consequentialist principle (or its teleological aspect.
 The utility principle (or its hedonic aspect):
 states that the only thing that is good in itself is some specific type of
state
 Mill: Quality over Quantity
 pleasures are superior to the lower ones:
 It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied;
 He emphasizing higher qualities such as knowledge, intelligence,
9
freedom, friendship, love, and health.
act-utilitiarianism: the consequences of each action we

perform are a matter to determine whether the action is right
or wrong
hedonistic utilitarianism: pain and pleasure of the action is
a matter.
For its view pleasure is the sole good and pain is the only
evil.
summing the seven aspects of a pleasurable or painful
experience is to score Pl or Pain: these are its intensity,
duration, certainty, nearness, fruitfulness, purity, and
extent.
10
 Cont…
For act-utilitarianism, specific acts of torture or slavery
if the social benefit of these
would be morally permissible
actions outweighed the dis-benefit
 Rule-utilitarianism ( a revised version of
utilitarianism)
For it rule is morally right if the consequences of
adopting that rule are more favorable than unfavorable to
everyone.
This Rule offers a litmus test only for the morality of
moral rules, such as "stealing is wrong unlike act
utilitarianism.
11
 Cont…
utilitarian ends might justify immoral means.

In the expense of maximizing happiness, the following
dastard might happen
deceit, torture, slavery, even killing off ethnic minorities
Here are some of the argument
(1) If a moral theory justifies actions that we universally
deem impermissible, then that moral theory must be
rejected.
(2) Utilitarianism justifies actions that we universally
deem impermissible.
(3) Therefore, utilitarianism must be rejected.
12

 
 Cont…
The fundamental principle of utilitarianism is the
principle of utility: 
the utility or welfare of all the affected parties matter in
determining the righteous and wrongness of the action.
Ethical Altruism:
an action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone
except the agent.
Psychological altruism
all human action is necessarily other centered and
other motivated. 13
 DEONTOLOGICAL / DUTY ETHICS
For Kant human beings are endowed with the mental faculty

which help them to distinguish moral acts from the immoral ones.
For him moral duties and rights are inherent to human
nature regardless of particular culture.
The intentions, motives, moral principles or performance of
duty rather than results, are duty theory’s emaphasis.
 sometimes called deontological or non consequentialist
 the foundational nature of our duty or obligation.
 There are four central duty theories
 1. duties to God, duties to oneself, and duties to others(Samuel Pufendorf)
 For him duty to God are two kinds
 1. a theoretical duty to know the existence and nature of God, and
 2. a practical duty to both inwardly and outwardly worship God.
14
 Cot…

 duties towards oneself are two sorts
 1. duties of the soul, which involve developing one's skills and
talents, and
 2. duties of the body, which involve not harming our bodies, as
we might through gluttony or drunkenness, and not killing
oneself.
 duties towards others:-- he divide in to two
 Conditional and absolute
 With regards to conditional : involve various agreement , the
principal one of which is the duty is to keep one's promises.
15
 Cont…
 Absolute duties are of three sorts:
 1. avoid wronging others, 2. treat people as equals, and 3. promote the
good of others.
 The Divine Command Theory
 ethical principles are simply the commands of God.
 Without God, there would be no universally valid morality.
 We can analyze the DCT into three separate theses:
 1. Morality (that is, rightness and wrongness) originates with God.
 2. Moral rightness simply means willed by God,‖ and moral
wrongness means ―being against the will of God.
 3. Because morality essentially is based on divine will, not on
independently existing reasons for action, no further reasons for
action are necessary.
16
 The rights theory: the rights of one person imply the
duties of another person.
John Locke, who argued that the laws of nature mandate
that we should not harm anyone's life, health, liberty or
possessions. Following him Jefferson recognized three
foundational rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness
 four features traditionally associ#ated with moral
rights.
Natural, universal, equal and inalienable.
17
 Cont…

 A third duty-based theory is that by Kant, which emphasizes a
single principle of duty.
 He agreed that we have moral duties to oneself and others, such
as developing one's talents, and keeping our promises to others.
 For him categorical imperative is a foundational principle of duty
that encompasses our particular duties . simply mandates an
action, irrespective of one's personal desires, such as "You ought
to do X unlike hypothetical imperative. He give four versions of
it
 1. Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end.

18
 Cont…

2. treat someone as a means to an end whenever we
treat that person as a tool to achieve something else. It
is wrong.
3. The categorical imperative also regulates the
morality of actions that affect us individually. Suicide,
for example
4. Kant believes that the morality of all actions can be
determined by appealing to this single principle of
duty.
4. prima facie duties.
 Ross argues that our duties are "part of the 19

fundamental nature of the universe."

 Cont…
 Ross means duties that dictate what we should do when
other moral factors are not
considered.
 It generally obligate us; that is, they ordinarily impose a
moral obligation but may not in a particular case because of
circumstances.
 An example of a prima facie duty is the duty to keep
promises.
 Lists of prima facie duty
 Fidelity: the duty to keep promises
  Reparation: the duty to compensate others when we harm them

20
 Cont..
  Gratitude: the duty to thank those who help us

  Justice: the duty to recognize merit
  Beneficence: the duty to improve the conditions of others
  Self-improvement: the duty to improve our virtue and
intelligence
  Nonmaleficence: the duty to not injure others

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 VIRTUE ETHICS
 morality consists some of the precisely defined rules of

conduct, such as "don't kill," or "don't steal for many
philosophers.
Virtue ethics gives stress to the importance of developing
good habits of character such as benevolence rather than
learning Rules.
Plato emphasized four virtues in particular, which were
later called cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance
and justice.
Other important virtues are fortitude, generosity, self-
respect, good temper, and sincerity 22
 virtue theorists hold to
Cont…
avoid acquiring bad character
traits, or vices, such as cowardice,
insensibility, injustice, and vanity.
It is emphasizes on moral education.
Aristotle´s Theory of Virtue (In his great work Nicomachean
Ethics)
He conclude that humans will achieve happiness only by developing
their virtues.
For him humans will achieve happiness –their ultimate end- only by
fulfilling their specific purpose, which is to exercise their reason,
and to do so in an excellent or virtuous way.

23
 Cont…
For Aristotle virtues are good habits that we acquire,

which regulate our emotions.
Example in response to natural feeling of fear, develop
the virtue of courage.
if I do not have enough courage, I develop the
disposition of cowardice, which is a vice.
If I have too much courage I develop the disposition of
rashness which is also a vice.
For him it is not an easy task to find the perfect mean
between extreme character traits.
24
 Cont…

 medieval theologians supplemented Greek lists of
virtues with three theological virtue
 Faith, hope and charity.
 Alasdaire MacIntyre (1984) argued that virtues are
grounded in and emerge from within social traditions.

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 Chapter Four state, government and citizenship
 Major Contents of the Chapter
1. State
1.1. Definition
1.2. Approaches/perspectives 
1.3. Role of state
2. Government
2.1. definition
2.2. purpose
3 Citizenship
3.1. definition
3.2. ways of acquiring citizenship
3.2.1 ways of acquiring Ethiopian nationality
3.3. Ways of losing citizenship
26
 Intended outcome
At the end of the chapter the learners will be able to:
Understand the meaning and the concept of State,
government, citizenship.

Conceptualize the role of state, purpose of government in
general
Finally you will be able to know
Ways of acquiring and losing citizenship across the globe
and Ethiopia in particular.

Therefore, all of you are invited to attentively follow our

discussion.
Are you ready to follow me ?
Good!!!!! 27
 Chapter Four: State, Government & Citizenship
Understanding state
The term state means

a collection of institutions, a territorial unit, a philosophical idea,
an instrument of coercion or oppression, and so on.
Four perspective:-
Ideal approach
Hegel identified three moments of social existence: the family,
civil society and the state.
Within the family, he argued, children or elderly relatives.
Civil society seen as universal egoism’ in which ind-put their
interest
Hegel conceived of the state as an ethical community
-universal altruism’ 28
 Functionalist approachesCont…
 focus on the role or purpose of state institutions.
 The organizational view 
 This define state as the apparatus of Government.
 State comprises varies gov’t institutions
 the bureaucracy, the military, the police, the courts, and the social
security system.
 it can be identified with the entire ‘body politic’


29
International approach
the basic ‘unit’ of international politics


Four features/elements of State
Permanent Population,
Effective Government,
Defined Territory,
Soverignty
Recently the fifth essential element of state is
launched, which Recognition

Cont …
30
Rival Theories of State
the pluralist state, the capitalist state,
the leviathan state and the patriarchal state.

Pluralist state: has a very clear liberal lineage.
Proponents believe that the state had arisen out of a
voluntary agreement, or social contract. The issue is
getting safeguard via sovereign power .
In the absence of state individuals abuse, exploit and
enslave one another and vice-versa
Here state is neutral
Modern pluralists- adopted neo-pluralist
 Which acknowledged business enjoys privileged position unlike others

31

theory
The Capitalist State
State & economic structure are inseparable for marx
an instrument of class oppression 
the state emerges out of, and in a sense reflects, the class
system.
He(marxist) believed that the state is part of a
‘superstructure’ that is determined by econom ic base.
Two theories identified in his writing
‘The executive of the modern state is but a committee for
managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie’
 State power is relative
 Its up to mediate conflicting classes, and so maintains the class system itself in
existence. 32
The Leviathan State
in effect, a self-serving monster intent on expansion and
aggrandizement associated with the New rights.
New right is antipathy towards state intervention.


The central feature of this view is that the state pursues
interests
the internal dynamics of the state matter towards reflected
state intervention instead of popular pressure.
State is independent entity for New right thinkers unlike
marx (reflects broader class & other social class).

The Patriarchal/male controlled/ State

33
 The Role of the State
 the different state forms that have developed are the following:
Minimal states, Developmental states,


 Social-democratic states, Collectivized states,
 Totalitarian states, and Religious states
 Minimal states,
 is the ideal of classical liberals- rooted social-contract theory
 a protective body, its core function being to provide a framework of
peace and social order.
 The new rights take up it in to the modern political debate
 Two state’s function for New Rights
 A. the maintenance of a stable means of exchange or ‘sound money’
(low or zero inflation)
 B. the pro motion of competition through controls on monopoly
power, price fixing 34
  Developmental States
 intervenes in economic life in due of economic progress.
 The classic example is Japan.


Social Democratic (Welfare) States
 states intervene with a view to bringing about broader social
restructuring,
 with principles such as fairness, equality and social justice.
 Australia and Sweden has been guided by developmental and
social democratic albeit, the two are go hand in hand
 SD is both the idea of Modern liberals and democratic socialists
 Is active participant in helping to correct the imbalance and
injustice of market economy
 Collectivized States
 bring the entirety of economic life under state control.
 These sought to abolish private enterprise
 So called command economies 35
 Cont…
 Totalitarian States
The most extreme interventionist state
Under control all discourses

Against the civil society and the private spheres
Example
Hitler of Germany
Stalin of USSR and etc
The central Pillar of such regimes are
a comprehensive process of surveillance and
terroristic policing, and
a pervasive system of ideological manipulation and
control.
36
 Religious State
 Recently state emerge due to the triumph of civil authority
over religious authority. 
 Separation of state & religion come up with religion as individual
sphere of right
 1980s was the rise of religious state which conceive religion as
the basis of politics.

37
 .
Understanding Government

 What is Government?
 of the most essential components and

 also an administrative wing of the state.
 Organization comprises
 individuals and institutions authorized to formulate public policies
and conduct affairs of state.
 to be stable and effective Authority and legitimacy matters.
 Authority: Legitimate power
 Power is the ability to influence, whereas Authority is the right to
do so.
 Legitimacy: is the popular acceptance of a governing regime
or law as an authority.
 In the absence it, the gov’t will collapse.
38
 Purposes and Functions of Government

 1. Self-Preservation
 Responsible to prevail order, internal security and external
defense .

 2. Distribution and Regulation of Resources:
 3. Management of Conflicts
 4. Fulfillment of Social or Group Aspirations:
 Societal interest has fulfilled in due of promoting human rights
and common good & global peace.
 5. Protection of Rights of Citizens
 Democratic, social, economic and political
 6. Protection of Property:
 Property ownership is ensured via gov’t instns like court,
police & etc
39
 Cont…

 Implementations of Moral Conditions:
 Provision of Goods and Services:

40
 Understanding Citizenship
Citizen
the person who is a legal member of a particular State

and one who owes allegiance to that State.
the network of relationships between the State and the
citizen is C/p
I, Citizenship as a Status of Rights:
Civil, political & social rights
 four components of rights by Hohfeld known as ‘the
Hohfeldian incidents’ namely,
liberty (privilege), claim, power and immunity.

41
 …
Cont

Liberty Right:
a freedom given for the right-holder to do something.

Example the right to movement.
Art 25 to 34 of FDRE cons
Claim Rights: Claim rights impose a corresponding duty
on others unlike liberty right
Powers Rights: are cooperative controls that are imposed
on others
Immunity Rights: allow bearers escape from controls and
thus they are the opposite of power rights

42
 II. Membership and Identity:
 linked to shared territory, common culture, ethnic
characteristics, history.
 True citizens: who strive for community’s well being
 iii) Participation: 
 There are two approaches in this regard; minimalists and
maximalists.
 iv) Inclusion and Exclusion:
 Citizens vs. Non-citizen

43
 Theorizing Citizenship

• Citizenship in Liberal Thought

 individual liberty of the citizen is it emphasis


 Individual should be free to decide on thier own
 John Locke viewed individuals as endowed with reasoning skills,
 Liberals deem internal factors as the primary reasons that
determine personal identity.
 John Stuart Mill, , regarded individuality and self-interest as the
source of social, not just personal, progress and well-being.
 Three fundamental principles which a liberal government must
provide and protect:
 Equality
 Due process
 Mutual consent
44
 are free-raiders problem and the tragedy of the commons.
 The ways individuals and idea has been framed is problematic
 liberal societies tend to be less egalitarian.
• 2. Citizenship in Communitarian Thought

• emphasizes on the importance of society in articulating the good.
• Privileging individual autonomy is seen as destructive of
communities.
• the two defining features of it
• 1. no individual is entirely self-created; instead constructed by
society
• 2. as a consequence of assimilation, a meaningful bond is said to
occur between the individual person and his/her community.
• emphasize the communal construction of social individuals and
social formations, and of values and practices.
• 45
 3. Citizenship in Republican Thought

 emphasis on both individual and group rights.

 advocate self-government like liberals
 Has two essential elements
 publicity and self-government.
• 4. Multicultural Citizenship 
• The increasing diversity in States challenges particularly the liberal conceptions of
citizenship.
• Due the rise different movement inline with identity and immigration made
States multinational and polytechnic.
• Thus, Cultural and group rights included in a democratic framework
 four principles of multicultural citizenship

 Taking equality of citizenship rights as a starting point.

 ii) Recognizing that Formal equality of rights does not necessarily lead to equality
of respect, resources, opportunities or welfare.
 iii) Establishing mechanisms for group representation and participation.
 iv) Differential treatment for people with different characteristics, needs and wants.
  46
 Modes/Ways of Acquiring and Loosing Citizenship

• Ways of Acquiring Citizenship

Citizenship from birth/of Origin:
Jus soli (the right to soil)

Not belong to children's of diplomat, and refugees
because of two special principles (international
diplomatic immunities):
extraterritoriality and inviolability principles.
Jus sanguine(the right to blood)
 ii) Citizenship by Naturalization/Law:
Political case (secession, merger and subjugation), grant
on application, marriage, legitimatization/adoption, and
reintegration/restoration.
47
The Modes of Acquiring Ethiopian Citizenship

 1930 Ethiopian Nationality Law”. has replaced by “Ethiopian

Nationality Proclamation NO. 378/2003”
 a person can acquire Ethiopian citizenship either by birth or
naturalization, as of art 6 & 33
 1) Acquisition by Descent:

 Art 6(1) state that: “any person of either sex shall be an
Ethiopian national where both or either parent is Ethiopian.”
 Two principles should be clear
1. “Any person shall be an Ethiopian national by descent where
both sex or either is ethiopian
2. A baby born to an Ethiopian parent and shall acquire
Ethiopian nationality unless proved foreign nationals.”
Note:
The case of jus soli(the right of soil) is not undertaken in
Ethiopia. 48
 Cont…
 2) Acquisition by Law (Naturalization):
 Article 6(2) ensure aliens get Ethiopian nationality
 Ways of by Law (Naturalization)

 a) Grant on Application (registration):
 Criteria
 Age, length of residence, income, language, criminal conviction
, takes the oath & release of previous one.
 b) Cases of Marriage:
 Criteria
 Marriage should be As of country’s Law,lapse at least 2yrs,
resident at least one yr, reaches maturity age, take oath of
allegiance.
 c) Cases of Adoption (Legitimating):
 This could be affirmed when adopted child couldn’t reach
majority age. 49
 Cont…
 d) Citizenship by Special Cases:
 Without following pre-conditions stated in Article 5 (sub-articles 2 and
3)

 e) Re-Admission to Ethiopian Nationality (Reintegration/Restoration):
 Accordance to art 22
 Dual Citizenship
 Duality/multiplicity arises because of the clash among the Jus Soli, Jus
Sanguini and naturalization.
 All African countries prohibit dual citizens and Ethiopia too ????
 Ways of Loosing Citizenship
 Deprivation- in voluntary loss by state (court or any else)
 Lapse/expiration- not applied in Ethiopia, but India is the best example
 Renunciation- voluntary losing
 Substitution-due naturalization, annexed territory by subjugator
50