Module 1: Lesson 2

INTRODUCTION OF BASIC CONCEPTS

AND KEY ELEMENTS OF ETHICS
 Looking closely, human actions ought to be
understood clearly in a very strict sense,
because it has something to do with human
movements that are ruled by one’s freedom.
 Freedom figures closely into action and
inclination. Freedom here, means not only
the ability to act free from outside influences
or independence from the impediments to
one’s wishes.
 It is the willful act and decision that gives
form and shape to the actions and inclinations
of the human person.
 The humn person himself/herself is
significant only in considering the result in
matters of to poiein or gawa.
 The Key Elements of Ethics

 Character
 Moral Character
 Moral Courage
 Gawa and Gawi
 Reason
 Feelings
 Freedom
 Good Acts and Evil Acts
Character

It is an evaluation of an individual's

stable moral qualities. The concept
of character can imply a variety of
attributes including the existence or lack
of virtues.
Moral Character

It primarily refers to the assemblage of

qualities that distinguish one individual
from another.
 Although on a cultural level, the set of
moral behaviors to which a social group
adheres can be said to unite and define it
culturally as distinct from others.
Moral Courage

It is a result of morally developed will. It

is the capacity to initiate and sustain your
resolve whenever you are certain of doing
the good.
Gawa

The term refers to the free action that is

oriented towards a particular end. For
example, a worker uses his/her free
imagination and will to bring about services
and products that contribute to the well-being
of society.
 As governed by free decisions making, the
creative workers embraces all the information
he/she can gather to effectively realize his.her
purpose.
Gawi

The term refers to the free kind of work.

However, instead of focusing on a particular
end like a product or fulfillment.
 Gawi refers to the kind of acts that human
beings are used to accomplishing. It does not
only refer to particular acts of a person. A
person’s habitual action or kagawian reveals
truth about himself/herself.
Reason

It sets the course for making ethical and

impartial decions especially in moral
situations although it is not the sole
determining factor in coming up with such
decision.
Feelings

It provides the individual with an initial

reckoning of a situation, but they should not
be the sole basis for one’s motives and
actions.
Freedom

It is the willful act and decision that gives

form and shape to the actions and inclinations
of the individuals.
 Freedom is oriented towards the
wherefore, the what for, and the whom for,
of the doings of the individuals.
Good Acts

A morally good act requires the goodness

of the object, of the intention of the agent,
and of the circumstances together.
Evil Acts

It is an act that corrupts the action even if

the object is good in itself.
 Approaches to Normative Ethics

 Consequentialism
 Deontology
 Virtue Ethics
Consequentialism

At the heart of consequentialist theories is

the idea that the moral action is the one that
produces the best consequences.
Deontology

According to deontological theories,

morality is primarily a function of duties or
obligations, regardless of the consequences
of acting in accordance with those duties.
Virtue Ethics

It gives primacy of importance not to

rules, but to particular habits of character
such as the virtue of courage and other types
of virtue that the person is personally
inclined to perform.
Moral Standards

It refers to the norms which we have about

the types of actions which we believe to be
morally acceptable and morally
unacceptable.
 Specifically, it involve sets of recognized
and permanently acceptable character or
norms commonly used as primary measure of
quality, value, and extent.
Non-moral Standards

It refer to rules that we have about the types

of actions that are unrelated
to moral or ethical considerations.
 These refers to the peoples customary, and
habitual ways of doing things. These
customary ways are accumulated and become
repetitive patterns of expected behavior,
which tend to become permanent traditions.
Derivation of Moral Standards
   
The foundations of evolving moral systems
rest on a complex cybernetic process that
sustains and preserves the human species.
 This is a dynamic process that drives the
creation of moral and ethical standards,
namely: emotion, and rules.
 Every human action inspires a
corresponding reaction whether subtle in
nature or violent. Some people are more
emotionally reactive than others.
 Emotions can get out of control if not
regulated by laws, customs, moral codes,
professional codes and even the rules of
etiquette.
 Rules are considered as an essential
stabilizing force that enhance the survivability
of individuals, families and nations.
Dilemma

It is a situation where a person is forced to

choose between two or more conflicting
options, neither of which is acceptable. As we
can see, the key here is that the person has
choices to make that will all have results she
does not want.
Ethical Dilemma

It is a decision-making problem between

two possible moral imperatives, neither of
which is unambiguously acceptable or
preferable.
 In ethical dilemma, the complexity arises
out of the situational conflict in which
obeying would result in transgressing another.
 There are three identified conditions that
must be present for situations to be considered
moral dilemmas:
 First, the person or the agent of a moral
action is obliged to make a decision about
which course of action is best. Here, the
moral agent must choose the best option
and act accordingly.
 Second, there must be different courses of
action to choose from. Hence, as already
pointed out above, there must be two or more
conflicting options to choose from for moral
dilemmas to occur.
 Third, no matter what course of action is
taken, some moral principles are always
compromised.
 Types of Moral Dilemma

 Epistemic Dilemmas: Self-imposed

and world-imposed dilemmas
 Obligation Dilemmas and
Prohibition Dilemmas
 Single Agent and Multi-person
Dilemmas
Epistemic Dilemma

It involve situations wherein two or more

moral requirements conflicted with each other
and that the moral agent hardly knows which
of the conflicting moral requirements takes
precedence over the other.
 In other words, under the epistemic
dilemma, the moral agent in this situation
does not know which option is morally right
or wrong.
Self-imposed Dilemma

This is caused by the moral agent’s wrong

doings.
Obligation Dilemma

This pertains to a particular situations in

which there are more than one feasible actions
is obligatory,
Single Agent Dilemma

The moral agent is compelled to act on two

or more equally the same moral options but
he/she cannot choose both.
 The Sources of Morality

 The Object
 The Intention of the Agent
 The Circumstances
The Object

It is the aim or goal of a certain

action.acquired. To make an act morally
good, it’s object or aim must conform to the
law of God or the conscience of the doer of
the action must attest it.
The Intention of the Agent

It refers to the means of attaining the object.

The Circumstances

These pertains to the types of environment,

situation, or condition prevailing when the
action is done.