ETHICS The Scope and Meaning of Ethics

➢ Studies human acts or human ❖ Geology studies the earth.

conduct. There are indeed other ❖ Astronomy the stars.
sciences which also study human ❖ Zoology animals; and so forth.
conduct, such as sociology,
psychology and education; but ethics
differs from each of these in its
standpoint, or in the particular aspect ➢ Let us explain the terms found in
of human acts with which it is our definitions.
particularly concerned; and it is the
morality of human actions.
Science- systematic study or a system of
scientific conclusions clearly demonstrated,
➢ The practical science of the morality derived from clearly established principles
of human actions. and duly coordinated. N.B. By science here
➢ The scientific inquiry into the we do not mean experimental science.
principles of morality. Ethics is a philosophical science.
➢ The science of human acts with
reference to right and wrong. Morality- the quality of right or wrong in
➢ The study of human conduct from the human acts.
standpoint of morality. Human Acts- Acts done with knowledge
➢ The study of the rectitude of human and consent
conduct.
➢ The science which lays down the
principles of right living. Three Branches of Ethics
➢ The practical science that guides us in
our actions that we may live rightly 1. Metaethics
and well.  Deals with whether morality exists.
➢ A normative and practical science,  Refers to the nature of ethical terms
based on reason, which studies and concepts and to the attempt to
human conduct and provides norm understand the underlying
for its natural integrity and honesty assumptions behind moral theories.
➢ The investigation of life.  The branch of ethics that seeks to
understand the nature of ethical
properties, statements, attitudes, and
SOCROTES judgments.
 Covers a broad range of questions
According to him “Ethics is the surrounding how we know what
Investigation of Life.” moral truth is (and even if moral
The unexamined life is not worth truth exists), and how we learn about
living. moral facts.

2. Normative Ethics
 Usually assuming an affirmative
answer to the existence question,
deals with the reasoned construction
of moral principles, and at its highest
level, determines what the
fundamental principle of morality is.
 Is concerned with principles of
morality.
Three Sub-Branches Claim that an act is morally right if and
only if that act maximizes the good, that
1) Consequentialist Theories is, if and only if the total amount of good
2) Deontological Theories for all minus the total amount of bad for
3) Virtue-Based Theories all is greater than this net amount for
any incompatible act available to the
agent on that occasion.
3. Applied Ethics
 Usually assuming an affirmative Hedonism
answer to the existence question,
addresses the moral permissibility of Claims that pleasure is the only intrinsic
specific actions and practices. good and that pain is the only intrinsic
bad.
Maximizing Consequentialism
➢ There’s always CONSEQUENCES to
your Actions. Moral rightness depends only on which
consequences are best (as opposed to
merely satisfactory or an improvement
Consequentialism over the status quo).
Simply the view that normative Aggregative Consequentialism
properties depend only on consequences.
Which consequences are best is some
Actual Consequentialism function of the values of parts of those
consequences (as opposed to rankings of
Whether an act is morally right depends whole worlds or sets of consequences).
only on the actual consequences (as
opposed to foreseen, foreseeable,
intended, or likely consequences).
RELATION OF ETHICS WITH OTHER
Direct Consequentialism SCIENCES:
Whether an act is morally right depends
only on the consequences of that act Ethical Science
itself (as opposed to the consequences of
the agent’s motive, of a rule or practice  concerned with the study of man and
that covers other acts of the same kind, human conduct and is related to all
and so on). those sciences dealing with the study
of human nature and human living.
Evaluative Consequentialism
Moral rightness depends only on the
value of the consequences (as opposed to 1. Ethics and Logic
non-evaluative features of the ➢ Logic is the science of right thinking.
consequences). ➢ Ethics is the science of right living.
Right living presupposes right
Classic Utilitarianism thinking.
The paradigm case of consequentialism ➢ Doing follows thinking.
is utilitarianism, whose classic ➢ To think right often means to do right,
proponents were Jeremy Bentham as knowledge of right leads to the
(1789), John Stuart Mill (1861), and Henry doing of right. Both ethics (right
Sidgwick (1907). doing) and logic (right thinking) aim
Classic utilitarians held hedonistic act at rectitude.
consequentialism.

Act consequentialism
2. Ethics and Psychology
 ➢ Both deal with the study of
man, human nature and human
behavior.
➢ Difference of the two is,
Psychology is not interested in
the morality of human
behavior, unlike ethics.
➢ Psychology studies how man
behaves; ethics studies how
man ought to behave.
➢ The word “ought” is
emphasized to show the Ethics and Education
difference; Ethics is concerned
with moral obligation while ➢ Education develops the whole man:
psychology is not. his moral, intellectual and physical
capacities. Since man, however, is
primarily a rational moral being
(endowed with reason and will, which
3. Ethics is related to Sociology ranks him above brute creation), the
➢ Ethics deals with the moral primary objective of education should
order which includes the social be the development of these powers
order. in man, which consists of his true
➢ Whatever does violence to the perfection.
social order does violence also
to the natural and the moral
order. Society depends on Morality and Law
ethics for its underlying
principles: ➢ Are intimately related. Right and
➢ Sociology deals with human wrong, good and bad in human
relations in a society, but actions presuppose a law or rule of
human relations are based on conduct. Furthermore, the laws of the
proper order and proper order state are restatements, specifications
comes only with the proper or interpretations of an anterior
observance of moral laws and natural moral law as we shall show in
principles which regulate the the chapter on “Ethics and Law”.
actions of men in a community.

Ethics and Art

4. Ethics and Economics
➢ Man is also an economic being ➢ Ethics stands for moral goodness, art,
because he must support for beauty. But as transcendentals the
himself by earning a living. He beautiful and the good are one. There
must live by bread (though he can be no conflict between true art
does not live by bread alone). and true morality because both have
➢ Economics and morality are the same aim: to arouse and to inspire
two aspects of one and the the noble emotions of man.
same human nature.

➢ Morality and the Other Phases of

Human Life.
Ethics and Politics
➢ Man owes allegiance to the State.
Politics aims at good government for
the temporal welfare of the citizens.
 Politics has often become very dirty,
and the reason is precisely because it
is divorced from ethics. Ethics and Morality: Etymological
Meaning
➢ Disorder and confusion inevitably
follow in a state from such violations Ethics
of ethical principles, as: electoral
frauds, bribery, graft, blackmail,  Derived from the Greek word ethos
intrigue, etc. which means custom or particular
behavior (character).
Moral
Religion and Ethics
 Comes from the Latin word
Two phases of human activity: mos, moris , which means
religion and ethics. custom.
This is evident from the following
considerations:
Ethics and Morality: Considerations
 Both are based on the same
postulates: 1. Right Action (Manners)
2. Right Conduct (Living)
(1) the existence of a creator, 3. Good Life (Happiness)
(2) freedom of the will in man, “Seeking the good the aid of through
(3) immortality reason.”

 Both have the same end-the

attainment of man’s supreme purpose Ethics VS Morals
or man’s ultimate end.
 Both prescribe the same means for ETHICS MORALITY
attaining the goal of man: right living.
THEORY APPLICATION

The Importance of Ethics Right Action and Rightness or

Greater Good. Wrongness of
1. Ethics means right living and good Human Action
moral character; and it is in good
moral character that man finds his Systematic study of Prescribes what
true worth and perfection. the principles of ought to be done and
morality. to follow the right
2. Education is the harmonious way.
development of the whole man- of all
man’s faculties: the moral, SCIENCE of MORALS PRACTICE of ETHICS
intellectual, and physical powers in
man. Hence, the primary objective of “Peaceful and collectively satisfying
education is the moral development coexistence”
of the will.
3. According to Socrates,” the
unexamined life is not worth living TYPES OF ETHICS:
for man”. Plato calls and considers
ethics as the supreme science, the Meta Ethics
science par excellence as it is this
science that deals with the Summum ➢ It is the description of the
Bonum, the supreme purpose of understanding of the nature and
human living. dynamics of ethical principles.
 Right - enables a being or a thing to
conform to a RULE (doing what is
Normative Ethics right).
➢ It is prescriptive in nature setting the
norms or standards to regulate right ▪ DUTY
and wrong or good and bad conduct. ❖ Rules that are acted upon
accordingly.

Applied Ethics
“Right” and “good” are the two basic
➢ It is the application or praxis of terms of moral evaluation. In
ethical or moral theories as general, something is ‘right’ if it is
appropriate in each situation. morally obligatory, whereas it is
morally ‘good’ if it is worth having or
doing and enhances the life of those
Are all (human) customs subject of who possess it.
ethical studies?
Acts are often held to be morally
➔ But the human customs studied in right or wrong in respect of the
Ethics are NOT the social manners action performed, but morally good
(etiquettes), conventions, and or bad in virtue of their motive: it is
fashions which differ according to right to help a person in distress, but
nations and which change from time good to do so from a sense of duty or
to time. sympathy, since no one can
supposedly be obliged to do
something (such as acting with a
The definition of Ethics is based on certain motive) which cannot be
time and context done at will.

➢ In Ethics, “custom” means a more or

less permanent moral behavior in
GOODNESS constitutes human act.
accordance with the precepts of the “The more one does what is good, the
natural moral law which in freer one becomes. There is no true
universally known and common to all freedom except in the service of what
men. is good and right. The choice to
Natural Law disobey and do evil is an abuse of
freedom and leads to the slavery of
➢ All persons inevitably recognize the sin.” (CCC, 1733)
existence of a moral order and by
nature they are inclined to DO what
they recognize as GOOD/RIGHT and to If Ethics speaks of END/PURPOSE, what
AVOID what they recognize as is the end of Man?
EVIL/WRONG.
➢ All men naturally respect the life  An end is that towards which an
and property of others defend their action tends. Every human activity
lives ect. tends towards the direction of an end,
which in the last result, is the good
that perfects some faculties.
What is Good & Right?  Therefore, any act, with knowledge of
the mind and consent of the will,
Good - enables a being or a thing to serve pursues an end which is good for the
its GOAL (doing what is good). sensitive or for the rational
appetite, or for the whole human
▪ PURPOSE/ END being.
▪ Good that benefits all right.
Dylan Wilk Beatitude
“God, why am I rich?”  Responds to the natural desire for
was born to a poor family. But at the happiness. This desire is of divine
young age of 20, he started a origin: God has placed it in the human
computer games company that made heart in order to draw man to the One
him a millionaire. Soon, Dylan who alone can fulfill it.
operated in nine countries and ran his  The goal of human existence, the
own TV channel. ultimate end of human acts: God calls
Then at the age of 25, Dylan sold his us to his own beatitude. This vocation
company for multi-million British is addressed to each individual
pounds. personally, but also to the Church as a
He became the ninth richest person in whole, the new people made up of
Great Britain under the age of 30 those who have accepted the promise
Anna Meloto (wife) and live from it in faith.

What is the Chief End of Man? PURSUIT TO HAPPINESS:

➔ A man may think he is happy if he
can avail himself of the goods and AN UNALIENABLE RIGHT
pleasures that money can buy.
But riches cannot confer full  “We hold these truths to be self-
happiness in spite of the fact they evident, that all men are created
give man. equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable
➔ A man may think that happiness is Rights, that among these are Life,
his because he is physically strong. Liberty and the pursuit of
But human happiness cannot consist Happiness.”
in the health of a body that will  The “best definition of ‘the pursuit of
disintegrate and return to the happiness’ means we must think
inorganic world of matter. about facilitating the achievement of
others ’ happiness, and not be
➔ Happiness is generally identified inordinately or exclusively self-
with bodily pleasures and the obsessed with our own.”
luxuries of life. But pleasures cannot HAPPINESS IS GENERAL WELFARE
offer a real and perfect happiness
for they carry a sense of limitation  “The maintenance of peace and
and discomfort. order, the protection of life, liberty,
and property, and promotion of the
general welfare are essential for the
➔ Glory, prestige, honor, and social enjoyment by all the people of the
glamour cannot offer man a complete blessings of democracy.”
and lasting happiness, for these things
are established upon the whims and
caprices of fickle public opinion.
HAPPINESS AS A GOAL OF GOVERNANCE
BHUTAN’s GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS
HAPPINESS ➔ GOOD LIFE
 “The concept implies that sustainable
development should take a holistic
EUDAIMONIA BEATITUDO approach towards notions of
“Good + Spirit” “Blessedness” progress and give equal importance
happiness or welfare happiness (Lat.) to non-economic aspects of
(Gk.)
wellbeing.”
  The nine domains of GNH are mental equanimity. In Buddhism,
psychological well-being, health, equanimity, or peace of mind, is
time use, education, cultural diversity achieved by detaching oneself from the
and resilience, good governance, cycle of craving that produces dukkha
community vitality, ecological (suffering).
diversity and resilience, and living
standards.
BLAISE PASCHAL

HAPPINESS IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN ❖ “All men have happiness as their object.

GOAL There is no exception. However different
the means they employ; they all aim at
 In 2011, The United Nations General the same end.”
Assembly passed Resolution
"Happiness: towards a holistic
approach to development" urging ST. AUGUSTINE
member nations to follow the
example of Bhutan and measure ❖ “Following after God is the desire of
happiness and well-being. happiness; to reach God is happiness
itself... For whoever possesses God is
happy.”
HAPPINESS IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
CONSTITUENT OF THE GOOD LIFE
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
Confucius
❖ “Happiness is two- fold; the one is
imperfect, and it is possible in this life;
the other is perfect, consisting in the
vision of God.

ST. PAUL
❖ “Happiness consists primarily not in
pleasure, but in ethical pleasure; the ❖ Whatever is true, whatever is noble,
good life is not a life in which all or most whatever is right, whatever is pure
of one’s desires are fulfilled, but a life in whatever is lovely, whatever is
which the satisfaction of prudential admirable, if anything id excellent or
desires is subject to the constraint of praiseworthy, think about such things.
ethical desire; the source of the greatest
happiness lies not in the attainment of
the greatest political power, but rather St. Paul’s Matrix of Happiness
in the cognizance of one’s moral
innocence.” Whatever is To live and seek the Truth, which
TRUE is found in Christ (the Way, the
Truth and the Life).
Whatever is To live a life of humility,
HAPPINESS IS PEACE OF MIND NOBLE decency, and worthy of respect
Buddha (Christian decorum).
Whatever is To live an upright life in
RIGHT thoughts, words and deeds
(Holiness of heart and life).
Whatever is To live amiably with others and
LOVELY to cultivate
and increase love, friendship,
and amity among men (Christian
leadership and service).
❖ The pursuit to happiness is by using
knowledge and practice to achieve
ARISTOTLE death. So let not people take
life for granted."
❖ Happiness consists in achieving, through  The second wish of strewing
the course lifetime, all the goods of a gold, silver and other riches on
whole health, wealth, knowledge, the path to the graveyard is to
friends, etc. that lead to the perfection of tell People that not even a
human nature and to the enrichment of fraction of gold will come with
human life. This requires us to make me. I spent all my life Greed of
CHOICES, some of which may be very Power, earning riches but
difficult. Often the lesser good promises cannot take anything with me.
immediate pleasure and is more Let people realize that it is a
tempting, while the greater good is sheer waste of time to chase
painful and requires some sort of wealth.”
sacrifice.
❖ In order to achieve the life of complete
virtue, we need to make the right
 "About my third wish of
choices, and this involves keeping our having my hands dangling
eye on the future, on the ultimate result out of the coffin, I wish
we want for our lives as a whole. We will people to know that I came
not achieve happiness simply by enjoying empty handed into this
the pleasures of the moment. world and empty handed I
go out of this world”. With
these words, the king closed
The Last Wishes of Alexander the Great his eyes. Soon he let death
"I will depart from this world soon, I conquer him and breathed
have three wishes, please carry them out his last...
without fail.”
Agere sequitur esse – Action
1. "My first desire is that", said Alexander, follows being.
"My physicians alone must carry my
coffin.” Nihil Dignum facile est. –
Nothing(worth having) comes
2. After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, easy.
I desire that when my coffin is being
carried to the grave, the path leading to
the graveyard be strewn with gold,
silver and precious stones which I have
collected in my treasury".

3. The king felt exhausted after saying

this. He took a minute’s rest and
continued. "My third and last wish is
that both my hands be kept dangling
out of my coffin".
Alexander's favorite general kissed his
hand and pressed them to his heart. "O
king, we assure you that all your wishes
will be fulfilled. But tell us why you make
such strange wishes?"
 Alexander replied: "I want my
physicians to carry my coffin
because people should realize
that no doctor on this earth
can really cure anybody. They
are powerless and cannot save
a person from the clutches of