ETHICS 313

MODULE 1-INTRODUCTION
TO PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY
It is a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for understanding,
a study of principles of conduct. It seeks to establish standards of evidence, to
provide rational methods of resolving conflicts, and to create techniques for
evaluating ideas and arguments. Philosophy develops the capacity to see the
world from the perspective of other individuals and other cultures; it enhances
one's ability to perceive the relationships among the various fields of study; and
it deepens one's sense of the meaning and variety of human experience.
PHILOSOPHY
 It was first coined by Pythagoras
 It came from the Greek ‘Philia’ and ‘Sophia’ which means Love and
Wisdom respectively
 It is the science of all things.
When you reflect about the meaning of
your life, about your existence,
You are already a philosopher in a way
Three Basic Questions in Philosophy:
 What’s there?
 How did you find out?
 What is its importance?
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
METAPHYSICS – is the study of reality (beings and Being).
Some of the questions that Metaphysics deals with are:
What is the ultimate reality?
Is reality one or many different things?
Can reality be grasped by the senses of is it transcendent?
What is a substance?
What are accidents?
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
EPISTEMOLOGY – is the study of validity of human knowledge.
Among the questions that Epistemology deals with are:
What is knowledge?
Is knowledge acquired exclusively through the senses or by some
other means?
How do we know that what we perceive through our senses is
correct?
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
LOGIC – is the study of correct reasoning. Logic is the basic tool that
philosophers use to investigate reality
Among the questions raised by Logic are:
What makes an argument valid or invalid?
What is a sound argument?
What is difference between truth and validity?
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
COSMOLOGY – is the science of the universe.
Its questions are:
What are apace and time?
How is the world related to human beings?
Is the world created or has it existed from all eternity?
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
THEODICY – is a philosophical study of God.
Questions it raises are:
Does God exist?
What are the proofs of God’s existence?
What is the problem of evil?
How do we reconcile the existence of a benevolent God and the
unmerited misery in the world?
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY
ETHICS – is the study of the morality of human act.
Some of the questions treated by the field of Ethics are:
What is morally right?
Are there any objective standards of right and wrong?
Are moral values absolute or relative?
ETHICS
Ethics is the philosophy of life and that it delves into the deepest whys
and wherefore of human existence, men’s actions, problems and destinies. To
live well and happy, we must know what we are living for.
ETHICS
1. Ethics is the practical science of the morality of human actions;
2. Ethics is the science of human acts with reference to right and wrong;
3. Ethics is the scientific inquiry into the principles of morality;
4. Ethics is the study of rectitude of human conduct;
5. Ethics is the human conduct from the standpoint of morality;
6. Ethics is the science which lays down the principles of right living;
7. Ethics is the practical science that guides us in our actions that we may
live rightly and well;
8. Ethics is normative and practical science, based on reason, which
studies human conduct and provides norm for its integrity and honesty;
9. According to Socrates, ethics is the investigation of life.
ETHICS
In summary,
Ethics is a field of study on human conduct and the investigation of that human
conduct in terms of its morality.
The important terms which can be seen in them are:
1. Science – scientific study or a system of scientific conclusions clearly
demonstrated derived from clearly established principles and duly coordinated.
2. Morality – The quality of human acts as right, wrong or indifferent,
moral, immoral or amoral
3. Human acts – acts done with knowledge, freedom and free will or
consent.
ETHICS
 Came from the word Ethos which means characteristic way of acting
 Refers to those characteristics belonging to a man as a rational being,
endowed with intellect and free will
ETHICS
 He is able to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and
immoral.
 He feels within himself an obligation to do what is good and to avoid what is
evil
 He feels accountable for his actions, expecting reward or punishments for
them.
 The concepts of morality and ethics are understood to be synonymous
in many context. Indeed, at the outset, the concepts had the same meaning. The
term morality has Latin roots, whereas the term ethics stems from classical
Greek, but both words originally referred to respectable behavior in a given
society.
 Morality can be defined as a set of beliefs and convictions about right
and wrong; this concept applies to interpersonal interactions, as well as to
people’s obligations toward animals.
Ethics, on the other hand, is the academic discipline of thinking
systematically about right and wrong (Kvalnes & Øverenget, 2012). People
learn morality and ethics in different ways. Moral beliefs and convictions are
typically adopted through social interaction, whereas ethics is an academic
discipline that must be learned by reading books, attending seminars, and such.
 Ethics is defined as the science of the morality of human acts. And
because actions reflect the motives of the doer, Ethics is said to be the study of
human motivation, and ultimately, of human rational behavior.

Moral Philosophy – relies solely on human reason to investigate truths.

Value Education - aims to guide the individual in choosing wisely his values
and in acting upon them.
 Human Acts are those actions performed by man, knowingly and freely.
They are also called deliberate or intentional actions, or, voluntary actions.
Moreover, they reveal the thoughts and inclinations of the person doing them.
They are then manifestation of one’s character or moral conduct, a person who
has the habit or inclination to do good is said to be virtuous. On contrary, one
who has the habit of doing wrong is vicious.
TWO ETHICAL SYSTEMS
1. Atheistic approach assumes that only matter exist and that man is
responsible only to himself since there is no God who creates and rules the
universe. accordingly, the concept of good and evil is always relative and
changeable.
2. Theistic approach begins with the assumption that God is the Supreme
Lawgiver. Everything must conform to God’s eternal plan of creation. Man
must exercise his freedom in accordance with God’s will. There are
absolute principles of morality which are not changeable. Man is
accountable for his actions and deserves either a reward or punishment in
this life or in the next.
 Morality has a wider implication than law,
because law can either be moral or immoral. Thus,
what is legal is not necessarily moral; but what is
moral is necessarily worth legalizing.