Lesson 1: Introduction To ETHICS: The Concept of Ethics

Lesson 1: Introduction to ETHICS
We live in a dangerous world. Whether it is more

dangerous than in crimes past is an open question. One can think,
for example, of the thirteenth century when Genghis Khan and his
successors swept across Asia, Europe, and northern Africa and
threatened to destroy all Islamic civilization. We can also think of
the bubonic plague in the mid-fourteenth century, which wiped
out one-fourth of Western Europe’s population and still
reappeared in the following three centuries. On the other hand,
today’s threats may be even more powerful and have the capacity
to affect millions more people. For example, we have recently
been made only too aware of the extent and capacity of terrorist
networks around the world. Unstable nations and rulers possess
powerful weapons of mass destruction. Individuals promoting a
cause, acting out of revenge or in frustration, or for no clear
reason at all can randomly kill people who are simple going about
the business of life. We question what we may rightly do to lessen
these dangers or prevent great possible harm. In some cases, the
only way to do so seems to involve threats to other important
values we hold- for example, rights to privacy and our basic civil
liberties. Photo source: insurancejournal.com
These are matters not only of practical and political bearing but also of moral rights and wrongs.
They are also matters about which it is not easy to judge. We do not always know what is best to do,
how to balance goods, or what reasons or principles we ought to follow.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. Discuss the concept of ethics;
2. Distinguish the three general subject areas of Ethics; and
3. Write a short summary of trending stories on social media which convey important ethical issues.
LECTURE NOTES
The Concept of Ethics

What do people think about when they think ethically? What is the experience on which ethical
reflection is grounded? It is grounded on the experience of free persons who have to act in difficult
situations. It developed from the reality that when people act, they do not merely need to know the
best way to realize something but there are times when they need to act in a way that realizes the good.
And the good does not always mean the easiest or most expedient way. Ethical norms and the question
of good and evil arise when people need to act as free persons. But not all actions are inherently ethical.
Actions only require ethical reflection when they are free acts that involve a person’s desire to realize
the good. Thus, the field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and
recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.
1
Ethics and Ethos
The term ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, which means custom, a characteristic, or
habitual way of doing things, or action that is properly derived from one’s character. The Latin word mos
or moris (and its plural mores) from which the adjective moral is derived is equivalent to ethos. From
the purely etymological point of view, ethical and moral are, therefore synonymous. Also, restricted to
such root word considerations, ethics and morality many only be simple description of the mores or
ways of behaving, whether of the human person is general or of a particular population. It seems then
that as a field of study, ethics need not be “normative” in guiding human action and it is even seemingly
imperative to preserve an attitude of neutrality that excludes all judgments of value.
The three general subject areas of Ethics

Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas: metaethics,
normative ethics, and applied ethics.
• Metaethics investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. Are they
merely social inventions? Do they involve more than expressions of our individual emotions?
Metaethical answers to these questions focus on the issues of universal truths, the will of God,
the role of reason in ethical judgments, and the meaning of ethical terms themselves.
• Normative ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that
regulate right and wrong conduct. This may involve articulating the good habits that we should
acquire, the duties that we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior on others.
• Finally, applied ethics involves examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion,
infanticide, animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, or
nuclear war.
By using the conceptual tools of metaethics and normative ethics, discussions in

applied ethics try to resolve these controversial issues. The lines of distinction between
metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics are often blurry. For example, the issue
of abortion is an applied ethical topic since it involves a specific type of controversial
behavior. But it also depends on more general normative principles, such as the right of
self-rule and the right to life, which are tests for determining the morality of that
procedure. The issue also rests on metaethical issues such as, “where do rights come
from?” and “what kind of beings have rights?”
LEARNING ACTIVITY
1.1 Answer the following questions concisely in a separate sheet of paper. (15pts)
1. What makes ethics a necessary academic discipline?
2. What is the complementary relation between meta-ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics?
3. Is it possible for a person to be moral but not ethical or ethical but not moral?
TASK
1.2 From a list of trending stories on social media, select two recent stories/news articles which convey
important ethical issues. You may write a short summary of your findings in a short-sized bond paper.
REFERENCES
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/

Mackinnon, Barbara. (2012) Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Pasco, Marc Oliver. Et al. General Education: Ethics. C & E Publishing, Inc.,2018

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Lesson 1: Introduction to ETHICS

We live in a dangerous world. Whether it is more

After studying this chapter, the students should be able to:

The Concept of Ethics

The three general subject areas of Ethics

By using the conceptual tools of metaethics and normative ethics, discussions in

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/

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