TVET Program

RIFT VALLEY UNIVERSITY

JIMMA CUMPUS

Developing Morality, Professional Ethics and Patriotism

By:
Kitesa Ayana (B.pharm. BSc, MSc )
 LO #1- Develop morality
1.1 Concept of morality
 Morality comes from a Latin word ‘’mores’’ meaning:

 Custom, Habit, Manner, Character or Proper behavior.

 The manners you learn like politeness of behavior, way of saluting, or

giving helpful hands for elders,

 showing sympathy to people during sadness are valued as morality.

 Even if what are considered good and bad differs in different societies,

learning moral values is significantly important in a society,

 because it helps individuals or groups to live together in peace and unity.

1
 Cont…..

 Different scholars define Morality as:

 (Guy, 2001)

 Those principles and values that actually guide, for better or worse, an

individual’s personal conduct

(Madden, 2000)

Morality is the informal system of rational beings by which they govern

their behavior in order to lesson harm or evil and do good, this system,
although informal, enjoys amazing agreement across time and cultures
concerning moral rules, moral ideas and moral virtues

2
 Cont’
NB: Learning about morality which involves what we ought to do, right and wrong,
good and bad helps us to adjust ourselves in a society we are living in.

1.1.1 Morality and its Application

A) To whom or what does morality apply?

Morality may be applied to four areas:

1.Religion: Determined by r/n b/n human being and supernatural being.

 In the Jewish and Christian traditions, for example, the first three of the Ten

Commandments pertain to this kind of morality.

These commandments deal with a person‘s relationship with God, not with any
other human beings

2.Nature: Morality determined by r/n b/n human being and nature.

3
 Cont’
3.Individuality:
 Morality refers to individuals in relation to them-selves and to an individual code

of morality that may or may not be sanctioned by any society or religion.

 It allows for a ‘’higher morality’’ which can be found within the individual rather

than beyond this world in some supernatural realm.

4. Society: Morality determined by r/n b/n human being and society.

 It is probably the most important aspect of morality.

 is found in more ethical systems.

 For a majority of ethicists, the most important human moral issues arise when

human beings come together in social groups and begin to conflict with one
another.
4
 Cont’’
b) Who is morally responsible?
 Humans have a moral sense because their biological makeup determines the
presence of three necessary conditions for ethical behavior:

i. The ability to anticipate the consequences of one's own actions;

ii. The ability to make value judgments; and
iii. The ability to choose between alternative courses of action.

C) Where does Morality come from?

 considered as having a subjective or objective origin.
 As objective there are three possibilities for the origin of value
i. Values are given by a supernatural being.
ii. Values are part of the fabric of nature.
iii. Values are part of the “furniture’’ of the world, independently of human
beings.
5
 Cont’’
NB: These possible explanations of the origin of values are expressed in the
‘’supernatural theory’’ the theory of ‘’natural law’’ and ‘’objectivism’’.
 As subjective, the origin of value is related to human beings. Without
human beings, subjectivist theorists argue, there would be no value.
1.1.2 Forms of Morality
We can separate morality into two forms:
i. Customary/Traditional morality: refers to the moral systems handed
down through custom from generation to generation.
 We might call this static morality
ii. Reflective morality: requires that moral ideas are carefully examined and
tested.
 Traditional morality can become reflective and dynamic when those moral
ideas that are simply handed down and accepted are subjected to analysis
and criticism.

6
 Cont…
1.1.3.The relation between Morality with Law and Religion
i. Morality and law. Morality and law are not the same although of course
they overlap.
 Law might be thought of as a public codification of morality for a culture,
although certain laws in that system, or even the system itself, might be
deemed immoral,
 e.g., apartheid. Law is not a necessary attribute of morality although
morality may well be thought to be a necessary attribute of law.
ii. Morality and religion.
 Morality need not be based exclusively on religion for five reasons.
 Supernatural existence cannot be proven.
 Non-religious people can be moral.
 Religious foundation for ethics is difficult to establish.
 No religion would be best ethically
 We could not show that one religion is best 7
 Cont…
iii. Why should human beings be moral?
 Enlightened self-interest – I will be better off
 Tradition and law – best to do because some authority says so
 Shared human needs, goals, desires and objectives
NB: morality deals with humans and how they relate to others and the world
around them. It deals with how we treat one another so as to promote what
is good and right.
1.4 Purpose of morality
 The purpose of morality is constituted in the five purposes to:
i. Keep society from falling apart;
ii. Ameliorate human suffering;
iii. Promote human flourishing;
iv. Resolve conflict of interest justly and orderly
v. Assign praise, blame, reward, punishment and guilt
8
 Cont’’
2.1 Moral principles
 Moral principles are principles based on reason and rationality.

 They guide us on what we should do, what qualities we should nourish, and

what kind of lives we should look for.

 2.1.1 Types of Moral Principles

 There are two types of moral principles: absolute and relative.

 Moral absolutism is an ethical view that certain actions are intrinsically right

or wrong.
 Moral relativism believes there are no absolute rules to what are right or

wrong, and that moral principles can change depending on the situation.
9
 Cont’’
i. Absolute Moral Principles
 are based on universal truths about the nature of human beings.

 Eg. Murder is wrong because it goes against the natural order of things.

 These are also sometimes called normative moral principles, or those that are

generally accepted by society.

 Examples of absolute moral principles:
 Don't kill.
 Speak the truth.
 Be careful with what you say and do to others
 Respect the property of others.
 Treat people in need or distress as we would want to be treated if our
situation were reversed.

10
 Cont’’
ii. Relative Moral Principles
 Based on opinions and circumstances that may change over time or from

person to person or for different situations.

 depend on a person's beliefs.

 Relativism is to what people perceive as good or bad in relation to

themselves.
 when someone says something is good, in most cases they are really

saying it is good for them, or perhaps it contributes to their well-being.

 examples of relative moral principles including:

 It is morally wrong to spend money on a luxury(extra) item.

 It is morally right to care for our planet and preserve it for future generations 11
2.1.2 Impacts of Moral Principles
 are important for society because they help people learn how to get along
and live well with each other.
 They teach us that all human beings deserve the same rights, which is why
it's not okay to discriminate against someone based on their ethnicity or
race.
 People who follow moral principles also tend to have a better quality of
life than those who don't.
 It can also impact an individual's identity and sense of self-worth.
 For example, someone who is honest may feel that they are a good person
because they follow the moral principle to be truthful at all times.

 And for people with strong values about equality, it might make them feel
better about themselves when they don't discriminate against people who
are different from them.
12
 Cont..

 And for people with strong values about equality, it might make them feel

better about themselves when they don't discriminate against people who are
different from them.
 NB: moral principles are beneficial both to society and the individual

person.
 However, blindly following moral principles without considering their

origin or using your judgment based on the situation can be problematic.

 The best course of action is usually to adhere to a set of moral principles that

align with your beliefs and society as a whole

13

 Cont.….
2.1.3 Ways to Develop Good Moral Principles .
 There are also many practical steps a person can take to develop good moral
principles:

 Think about what you would do when faced with an ethical dilemma and
 why you would make those decisions.

 Ask yourself what you think is right or wrong and make sure that your actions
are in line with those thoughts.
 Watch out for double standards, like being nice to one person while not being so
kind to another.
 If it helps, write down a list of moral principles and post them where they're easy
to see, like on a mirror or in your workspace.

 Don't worry if you're not perfectly adhering to your moral principles.

 The important thing is that you are trying your best. 14
 Cont….
2.1.4 Moral Characters in School or College
 Moral (character) education, then, encompasses deliberate efforts to help
the young learn, practice, and apply moral virtues and character habits that
will help them individually live good lives
 and at the same time become productive, contributing citizens.
 Examples of Legal judgments of good moral character at school or college
can include consideration of honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, reliability,
respect for the law, integrity,

 candour(the quality of being honest), discretion, observance of fiduciary

(trust) duty, and respect for the rights of others, absence of hatred and
racism,
 fiscal responsibility(ability to balance between government spending and
tax).
 Mental and emotional stability
15
 Cont’’
2.1.5 Practice of Morality in the work place

 Morality lead to bettering human life.

 It is d/t in every society, and is a convenient term for socially apply habits

 Moral is how your employees feel about coming to work every day,

 how they approach their assigned tasks, and their attitude about the direction

the company is taking.

 Employee morale is the culmination of job satisfaction, life outlook, and

attitude.
 Having moral character in the workplace helps you to become the type of

leader who inspires your employees

 Employees with good morals set a positive example for their co-workers
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 Quiz
 Direction: 1 chooses the best answer. Each question contains 2%
1___________principle is based on universal truths about the nature of human
beings.
A. Absolute B. Relative C. morality D. ethics
2. ___________principles depend on a person's beliefs.
A. Absolutism B. Relative C. Morality D. Ethics
3. …….involves what we ought to do, right and wrong, good and bad helps
us to adjust ourselves in a society
A. Ethics B. Morality C. Civics D. Politics
4. To what does morality apply?
A. Religion B. Culture C. Nature D. All of the above
5. Which of the following is not the characteristic of reflective morality?
A. Static B. Dynamic C. Flexible D. All are correct

17
6. Why Morality need not be based exclusively on religion?

A. Supernatural existence can be proven

B. Religious people can be moral.

C. Religious foundation for ethics is difficult to establish.

D. Religion would be best ethically

Direction: 2 Give short and precise answer for the following questions .Each
question contain 1.5%

1. Who is morally responsible?

2. Mention the main source of morality

18
 Cont.

3.1.The Similarity and Difference between Ethics and Morality

 Morality: is a general reflection showing to what extent you are

attached to the generally accepted behavior or norms of the society

 Ethics: refers to the well founded standards of a society about what is

‘’right’’ and ‘’wrong’’ usually in terms of rights, obligations, and benefits to

the society, fairness,
 or specific virtues such as like honesty,

 compassion, and loyalty.

 All these things are considered ethical because they are supported

by well-founded reasons. 19
 Con’t……
 Lifesaving abortion is an ethical value for a practitioner doctor.

 While for an individual in a society could be considered immoral to

terminate the fetus.

 In both cases, for the doctor it is a professional ethics that is considered

good to save the life of the troubled pregnant woman and

 It could be bad to hear even about abortion for an individual who believes

the action to be immoral

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 Con’t..
3.1.1 The similarity between ethics and morality
 Their similarity are as follows:

 When ethics represents the judgment of right and wrong, Morality helps

support it by refinements.
 Ethics studies the behavior, and Morality provides the practical guidance

of that behavior.
 Both the terms are used to indicate a fine line between what activities

should be considered good and what should be considered bad.

 Both ethics and morality work side by side to make the learning of good

activities faster.
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 Cont’…

 Both concepts help any individual to be a better person.

 Both these qualities are desirable for a person.

 Both the terms are interconnected in the way that Morality helps keep

alive the essence (principle) of ethics and its value.

 Both are rules or principles which govern how we perceive right or wrong

 In certain situations, morals and ethics might not be in conflict, meaning a

person could preserve his/her moral integrity, while respecting the ethical
principles of, for example, his/her work place

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 ’ and morality
3.1.2. The difference between ethics

27
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24
 Describing Virtues

4.1. Describing Virtues

Virtues : mean goodness or the state of being good.

Example. Volunteering to serve meals at a homeless shelter.

 Virtues are also attitudes or character that enables us to be and to act in

ways that develop our highest potential.

 They enable us to (follow) pursue the ideals we have adopted.

 Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity, integrity,

fairness, self-control, and carefulness (prudence) are all examples of

virtues.
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 Types of Virtues

There are two types: 1.Moral virtue 2.Civic Virtues:

1.Moral virtue: is the disposition or tendency to do the right thing and avoid
doing wrong.
 We develop this disposition over time and through training.

 A good character is an achievement, not a natural (gift) endowment.

“Doing right” becomes second nature to us, if we have developed our

moral character properly.
 We must strive to achieve a virtuous character, and

 we do this by constantly practicing the virtues and thereby developing a

good character.
26
 Con’t’
 Moral virtues are excellences of people.
 They're parts of people's character that helps them live well.
 Usual suspects for moral virtues are courage, temperance (moderation), and
wisdom.
 For instance, a sharp blade is the virtue of a knife. It helps the knife do its
job well.
 Patience is a moral virtue.
 It helps you avoid things that take you away from a flourishing and happy
life.
 The four fundamental moral virtues are :
 Courage(bravery)
 temperance,
 justice and
 prudence(carefulness).
27
 Cont’
 There are also other moral virtues include: trustworthiness, honesty,

generosity, civility, sincerity, gentleness, reliability, warmth, dependability,

cooperativeness, empathy, tact, kindness, tolerance, benevolence, etc.

2.Civic Virtues: means that individuals have a duty to their communities and
their societies that they should place above their own desires
 is an important concept in many contemporary societies, and it has been for

a long time.
 Important Civic Virtue Characteristics

 There are a number of important civic virtue characteristics that must be

understood to get a full picture of what civic virtue is and how it works in
practice. These include: 28
 cont’’
 Self-sacrifice: Putting the needs of a community over one's own needs is one of
the most deeply rooted parts of civic virtue.
 Participation: Participation in government and in the community is part of
what makes one a good citizen.
 Doing one's part: The idea of civic virtue is that each individual has their own duties
that help make society function as well as possible.

 Cooperation: Being a cooperative member of society, obeying the law, and working
well with others are some of the things that proponents of civic virtue promote
 Civility: is a social virtue that is indispensable to open political discourse and
reasoned disagreement.
 A civil person is willing to engage others in respectful dialogue without scorn or
insult, even when the issues are intensely important or disagreement runs deep.
 Compassion is the ability to feel sorrow over another person‘s suffering, and to
express that sorrow in a way that is intended to alleviate that suffering.

29
 Cont’’
 Fairness is a central virtue both for individuals and for social institutions.

Fairness is characterized by impartiality (a lack of favoritism).

 Ethics Virtue: Virtue of Ethics claims that the main task of ethics is to

give us knowledge of what is the right type of person, or what is a ‘’good’’

person.
 The six pillars that they identified as being the most important

characteristics of an ethical virtue are:

i. Trustworthiness. Includes integrity, promise-keeping, and loyalty.

ii. Respect. Treating everyone with respect, regardless of any biases or

provocations.
30
 Con’t
iii. Responsibility: Includes accountability, pursuit of excellence, and self-restraint.

iv. Justice and fairness. Includes equity and demonstrating due process.

v. Caring. Showing concern for others. Showing consideration for decisions that
affect others.

vi. Civic virtue and citizenship. Being socially conscious. Demonstrating concern
for one‘s community.
 Physical virtue: Physical Virtues include speed, strength, coordination, and so on.

 Social virtue: Concerned with society with our relationships with our fellow

members, it is dealing with wealth and expenditures, honor and reputation, humor
and anger, since the ways in which we handle these activities, goods, and
emotions either enhance or disrupt human life on the individual and communal
levels. 31
 Cont’’
Intellectual virtues:
 Are the virtues of understanding.

 We all have the ability to perceive Truth, but some refine this ability into a

virtue.
 This include the effective use of language, logical reasoning, and the

ability to identify likenesses and differences, and so on.

 The cardinal (key) intellectual virtue is wisdom.

 Spiritual virtues can be summarized by the words ‘’Faith’’, hope, and

love oriented towards God.

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Table 2. Samples of Virtues

33
 Con’t…

5.1 Applying Moral Values in Work Place

 Moral values are relative values that protect life and are respectful of the

dual life value of self and others.

 The great moral values, such as truth, freedom, charity, etc., have one thing

in common.
 When they are functioning correctly, they are life protecting or life

enhancing for all. But they are still relative values.

 Our relative moral values must be constantly examined to make sure that

they are always performing their life-protecting mission.

34
 Cont’’

5.1.1 Common Core Moral Values Descriptions for the Workplace

i. Autonomy: the ability to work in a way that is most conducive (helpful) to

performing at your best is something both you and the company may value.

ii. Integrity :Valuing integrity in the workplace means that you strive to do
the right thing, when you think no one is looking.
 You may also value honesty, transparency and a commitment to doing

what‘s best for your clients, customers, coworkers and company.

35
 Con’t…
iii. Innovation :Challenge yourself to see what‘s possible to better meet the
needs of your team, your customers and your company.

 striving to improve and do better.

 Think of creative ways to solve strong problems.
 Take calculated risks.
 Finding new ways to solve a problem moves the company

iv. Growth: Valuing growth means that you have to drive to continuously
improve both yourself and the business.
 Growth is based on mutual success.
 Many people and companies believe that the growth of a company comes
with the professional growth of the team.

36
 Con’t
 Being service-minded or customer-oriented means that you care about
providing a quality experience to the clients you serve.
 supporting your community and your team.
 Valuing service means that you aim to provide a meaningful experience to
the people you serve and support
5.1.2. Values of moral judgments
 are evaluations or opinions formed as to whether some action or inaction,
intention, motive, character trait, or a person as a whole is (more or less)
good or bad as measured against some standard of Good.
Object of Moral Judgment
 A moral judgement as distinguished from a factual judgement is a
judgement upon the action of an individual that can be evaluated as good
or bad, right or wrong. Obviously, it is a judgement upon the voluntary
action of the individual.
37
 Cont’’
Some Requirements to make Moral Judgement in the Work Place
i. Actions
Moral judgements are not passed upon all kinds of action, but only upon
conduct. But conduct or willed action has two aspects. It is will and it is
action, it involves
ii. Intensions
Intention is the object of moral Judgement.
 It includes the motive or the idea of the end as well as the idea of the
means.
 An action is good if its intention is good, in other words, if the end as well as the
means adopted is good. The end never justifies the means. Thus the motive alone
does not determine the moral quality of an action.
 .It is intention including motive that determines the moral quality of an action.
 An action is right when the intention of the agent is good. An action is bad or
wrong when the motive or the end and the means are good; an action is wrong if
either of them is "bad. 38
 Cont’’
 iii. Situations

 The possibility to make judgments as to how one ought to act in concrete

situations requires antecedent(precursor) moral principles.

 In the absence of such principles there is no rational basis for making such

judgments.
 The possibility to make judgments as to how one ought to act in concrete

situations implies:
 The situations about which we make such judgments must already have
moral significance independently of the principles one may bring to bear
upon them; and
  The rightness or wrongness of one's actions in concrete situations
depends on this moral significance of situations.
39
 Cont.…
iv. Character
 Intention is not an isolated mental phenomenon.

 Intention is the expression of the character.

 We pass moral judgments on the character of a person when we want to

determine his moral worth.

 But we do not determine the moral quality of an action by considering the

character of the agent, because a person of good character has not always
a good intention and similarly a person of bad character may not have
necessarily a bad intention always.
 For example, People articulate a moral judgment when they say that an
action is right or wrong, that a person is good or bad, or that a situation is
just or unjust. 40
 THE END

Thank you for your attention !!!

Stay Blessed !!

Questions ????
 quiz

Direction: 1 chooses the best answer. Each question contains 1%

1._______ meaning goodness or the state of being good.
A. Virtue B. Ethics virtue C. Civic Virtue D. Intellectual Virtue

2._______is the disposition or tendency to do the right thing and avoid doing wrong.
A. Moral Virtue B. Social Virtue C. Physical Virtue D. Intellectual Virtue
3._______ Which of the following is the end result of moral virtue?
A. Wisdom B. Happiness C. Physical Health Relationship
4. ________Which of the following common core values find new ways to solve a
problem and improve the productivity of the company?
A. Integrity B. Innovation C. Autonomy D. Growth
5.________ is relative values that protect life and are respectful of the dual life value
of self and others.
A. Moral Virtue B. Moral Value C. Ethical Virtue D. Virtue
6._________are evaluations or opinions formed as to whether some action or inaction,
intention, motive, character trait, or a person as a whole is good or bad
A. Moral Principles B. Moral Virtue C. Moral Value D. Moral Judgment
 quiz
7._______principle is based on universal truths about the nature of
human beings.
A. Absolute B. Relative C. morality D. ethics
8. ______principles depend on a person's beliefs.
A. Absolutism B. Ethics C. Morality D. Relative
9. To what does morality apply?
A. Religion B. Culture C. Nature D. All of the above
10.Why Morality need not be based exclusively on religion?

A. Supernatural existence can be proven

B. Religious people can be moral.

C. Religious foundation for ethics is difficult to establish.

D. Religion would be best ethically