Mid Lesson 1 Ethics & Moral Philo

ETHICS
ETHICS/MORAL PHILOSOPHY
 comes from Ancient Greek “ethikos” meaning “theory of living.
-is a major branch of philosophy that studies the values and customs of people, covering the
analysis and employment of concepts such as; right, wrong, good, evil, and responsibility.
-also known as “moral philosophy”, the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad
and morally right and wrong. (Britannica)
3 PRIMARY AREAS OF ETHICS:
1. Meta-ethics : study of the concepts of ethics
2. Normative Ethics : study of how to determine ethical values
3. Applied Ethics: study of the use of ethical values.

METAETHICS : STUDY OF THE CONCEPTS OF
ETHICS
 -attempt to understand the metaphysical, epistemological, semantic, and psychological,

presumptions and commitments of moral thought, talk and practice.
RANGE OF QUESTIONS AND
PUZZLES WITHIN THE
METAETHICS DOMAIN
 Is morality a matter of taste or truth?
Morality is a matter of personal taste and preference. Because it all depends on how a person sees what is right or wrong
 Are moral standards culturally relative?
Yes, because different cultures have different understanding and perspectives. This may have been historically
developed
 Are there moral facts?
Yes, there are moral facts such as how murder is generally seen as morally wrong
 If there are moral facts, what is their origin?
society
 How is it that they set an appropriate standard for our behavior?
To keep order and avoid chaos in order for the development of a peaceful society
 How might moral facts be related to other facts? (about psychology, happiness, human conventions?
 How do we learn about the moral facts, if there are any?
 All these questions lead to puzzles about moral claims, moral truth and the justification of our moral commitments.
METAETHICS
 Metaethics explores the connection between values, reasons for actions, and human
motivation, asking how it is that moral standards might provide us with the reasons to do or
refrain from doing as it demands.
 Metaethics addresses many of the issues like the nature or freedom and the significance ( or
not) for moral responsibility.
2. NORMATIVE ETHICS
Normative Ethics
 is concerned with classifying actions as right and wrong as opposed to descriptive ethics.
 regards ethics as a set of norms related to action.
 -includes the formulation of moral rules that have direct implications for what human actions,
institutions, and ways of life should be like. (Britannica)
 -Normative ethics involves arriving at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct.
In a sense, it is a search for an ideal litmus test of proper behavior. (Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy)
 Descriptive Ethics - deals with what the population believes to be right/wrong
while Normative Ethics deal with what the population should believe to be
right or wrong.
 Because Normative Ethics examines standards for the rightness and

wrongness of actions, normative ethics is distinct from meta-ethics, which
studies the nature of moral statements, and from applied ethics which
places the rules in practical contexts.
CONSEQUENTIALISM
Consequentialism argues that the morality of an action is contingent on the action’s outcome.
Consequentialist Theories:
1. Hedonism - views that only pleasure is good as an end.
e.g. Constant quest for pleasure and satisfaction, especially the pleasure of the senses.

2. Utilitarianism - holds than an action is right if it leads to the most pleasure for the greatest number of people.
e.g. If you are choosing ice cream for yourself, the utilitarian view is that you should choose the flavor that will give you the most pleasure.
3. Egoism - belief that the moral person is the self-interested person.

e.g. A cigarette smoker acts on his desire to smoke; smoking causes health problems that are not in one's best interest.

4. Non-consequentialism - claims that the morality of an action is based on its intrinsic nature, motives, or it being in accordance with
some rules or principles.
- denies that the rightness or wrongness of our conduct is determined solely by the goodness or badness of the consequences of our acts.
5. Divine Command Theory - the morality of an act depends on whether it is in accordance with
the will of God.
e.g. God may be disposed to love human beings, treat them with compassion, and deal with
them fairly.

6. Categorical Imperative Theory - holds that for one’s actions to be morally right, they must do
it for its own sake and not because of rewards or punishment.
e.g. If a person wants to stop being thirsty, it is imperative that they have a drink.
7. Situation ethics - morality of an action depends on the situation and not on the application of
the law.
e.g. Moral decision making is contextual or dependent on a set of circumstances.

8. Intuitionism - claims that one’s knowledge of right and wrong is immediate and self-evident.
e.g. An individual knows immediately that it is their duty to do acts of a certain type.
Emotive theory - claims that moral judgements do not state
9.
anything that is capable of being true or false but merely
expresses emotions like oaths or exclamations.
10. Ethical Relativism – there is no one correct moral code for all times and peoples,
that each group has its own morality relative to its wants and values, and that all moral
ideas are relative to a particular culture.
3. APPLIED ETHICS: STUDY OF
THE USE OF ETHICAL VALUES.
Attempts to apply theoretical ethics such as utilitarianism, social contract theory, and
deontology ( nature of duty and obligation) to real world dilemmas.
Topics falling within the discipline include medical ethics, legal ethics, environmental ethics,
computer ethics, corporate responsibility or busines ethics.
REFERENCE
Tulio, D. (2008). Historical, Philosophical and Legal Foundations of Education 2. Mandaluyong
City: Echanis Press

Mid Lesson 1 Ethics & Moral Philo

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mid Lesson 1 Ethics & Moral Philo

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mid Lesson 1 Ethics & Moral Philo

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ETHICS

1. Meta-ethics : study of the concepts of ethics

2. Normative Ethics : study of how to determine ethical values

3. Applied Ethics: study of the use of ethical values.

 -attempt to understand the metaphysical, epistemological, semantic, and psychological,

 Are moral standards culturally relative?

 Because Normative Ethics examines standards for the rightness and

1. Hedonism - views that only pleasure is good as an end.

3. Egoism - belief that the moral person is the self-interested person.

You might also like