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GNED 02-Lesson 1-Key Concepts in Ethics

This document provides an introduction to key concepts in ethics. It defines ethics as the branch of philosophy concerning morality and human conduct. Ethics, also called moral philosophy, deals with questions of right and wrong human actions and reasons for actions. It further discusses the characteristics of moral standards, including that they involve serious consequences, ought to be preferred over other values, are not determined by authority, require universalizability and impartial consideration of interests. The document also defines moral dilemmas as difficult choices between two moral courses of action that cannot both be done. It notes that morality requires choice and freedom. Finally, it discusses the views of James Rachels that sound reasoning and impartial consideration of all parties are needed for moral judgments.

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Mej Teaño
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320 views22 pages

GNED 02-Lesson 1-Key Concepts in Ethics

This document provides an introduction to key concepts in ethics. It defines ethics as the branch of philosophy concerning morality and human conduct. Ethics, also called moral philosophy, deals with questions of right and wrong human actions and reasons for actions. It further discusses the characteristics of moral standards, including that they involve serious consequences, ought to be preferred over other values, are not determined by authority, require universalizability and impartial consideration of interests. The document also defines moral dilemmas as difficult choices between two moral courses of action that cannot both be done. It notes that morality requires choice and freedom. Finally, it discusses the views of James Rachels that sound reasoning and impartial consideration of all parties are needed for moral judgments.

Uploaded by

Mej Teaño
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GNED 02: ETHICS

INTRODUCTION:
KEY CONCEPTS IN ETHICS
Prepared by: Ms. MEJ D. Teano, RPm
Learning Targets
LET’S THINK OF IT
SOMETIMES....
Branch of philosophy that studies morality or the rightness or wrongness of
human conduct

Stands to queries about what there is reason to do. Dealing with human actions
and reasons for action, ethics is also concerned with characte

Derived from the Greek word


‘’ETHOS’’ means ‘’character’’, or in plural ‘manners
Also called ‘moral philosophy’; a normative study of human actions

Morality: speaks of a code or system of behavior in regards to standards of


right or wrong behavior

Ethics and Morality: oftentimes used interchangeably; both carry the concept
of moral standards or rules
Give a situation wherein Ethics and Morality
is evident in your course.
Rules: regulations or principles governing conduct within a specific activity or
sphere
a. Protect social beings by regulating behavior
-usually coupled w/ means to impose consequences on those who violate them
b. Help to guarantee people certain rights and freedom
-laws/rules are outlined in what is called constitution w/c protects human
rights
c. Produce a sense of justice among social beings
-prevent exploitation and domination
d. Essential for a healthy economic system
-e.g. ensure product safety, employee safety, and product quality
Moral standards: those relating to human behavior, especially
the distinction between good and bad behavior
-involve rules about actions which are morally right and wrong,
and values on objects which are morally good and bad

Non-moral standards: rules unrelated to moral or ethical


considerations; either not necessarily linked to morality or by
nature lack ethical sense
Six (6) Characteristics of Moral Standards
a. Involve serious wrongs or significant benefits
-deal with matters which can seriously impact, that is, injure or
benefit human beings.

b. Ought to be preferred to other values


-have hegemonic authority (overriding character); take
precedence over other considerations (like aesthetic, prudential,
and even legal ones)
Six (6) Characteristics of Moral Standards

c. Not established by authority figures


-not invented or generated by authoritative bodies (e.g.
legislative bodies); cannot be changed nor nullified by the
decisions of authoritative bodies
-their validity lies on the soundness or adequacy of the reasons
that support and justify them
Six (6) Characteristics of Moral Standards
d. Have the trait of universalizability
-means that everyone should live up to moral standards and
moral principles must apply to all who are in the relevantly
similar situation

e. Based on impartial considerations


-require that we give equal and/or adequate consideration to
the interests of all concerned parties
Six (6) Characteristics of Moral Standards

f. Associated with special emotions and vocabulary


- Have practical or action-guiding nature (prescriptivity); appear
as injunction or imperatives (such as, ‘Do not kill’)
- proposed for use, to advise, and to influence action; used to
assign praise and blame, and produce feelings of satisfaction or
of guilt
Dilemma: a situation in which a tough choice has to be made
between two or more options, especially more or less equally
undesirable ones

Moral dilemmas: situations in which a difficult choice has to


be made between two courses of action, either of which entails
transgressing a moral principle; involves conflicts between
moral requirements
(a) the agent is required to do each of two (or more) actions;

(b) the agent can do each of the actions; but the agent cannot
do both (or all) of the actions;

(c) neither of the conflicting moral requirements is overridden


1. Personal Dilemmas
-those experienced and resolved on the personal level

2. Organizational Dilemmas
- ethical cases encountered and resolved by social
organizations; include moral dilemmas in business, medical
field, and public sector
3. Structural Dilemmas
- cases involving network of institutions and operative
theoretical paradigms; encompass multi-sectoral institutions
and organizations; may be larger in scope and extent than
organizational ones
Some human beings’ traits that make it possible for them to be
moral:
Only human beings are rational, autonomous, and self-conscious.
Only human beings can act morally or immorally.
Only human beings are part of the moral community.

Moral community is defined in terms of the essential social relations that exist
between or among beings
Morality is a question of choice and is about choosing ethical
codes, values, or standards to guide us in our daily lives.
Philosophically, choosing is impossible without freedom.

Morality requires and allows choice. In daily lives, people


make the choice to give to charities, donate time and money
to schools, mentor children, open businesses, or protest
against animal cruelty.
James Rachels (1941-2003) holds that moral judgments
must be backed by sound reasoning and that morality
requires the impartial consideration of all parties involved.

Reason entails that human feelings may be important in


ethical decisions, but they ought to be guided by sound
reasoning. It helps us to evaluate whether our feelings and
intuitions about moral cases are correct and defensible.
Impartiality involves the idea that each individual’s
interests and point of view are equally important. Also called
evenhandedness or fair-mindedness, it is a principle of
justice stating that decisions ought to be based on objective
criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or
preferring the benefit to one person over another for
improper reasons.
ASSIGNMENT: View your google classroom on
our scheduled asynchronous class for your
activity. To be submitted next face to face
class.

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