Chapter 1: Ethics – Its Meaning, Nature,

and Scope
I. Chapter Objectives (Using Bloom’s Taxonomy)
By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

1.​ Remember – Define ethics and differentiate it from morality.

2.​ Understand – Explain the importance of ethics in human interactions.
3.​ Apply – Recognize ethical principles in real-life situations.
4.​ Analyze – Compare and contrast different norms that influence behavior.
5.​ Evaluate – Assess how ethical principles guide decision-making and social
responsibility.
6.​ Create – Formulate a personal ethical framework for daily life and professional practice.

II. Key Concepts and Detailed Explanations

A. Definition of Ethics (Remembering & Understanding)

The term ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, meaning “character” or “custom.” It is a
branch of philosophy that studies human actions in relation to what is morally right or wrong.

Ethics vs. Morality

●​ Ethics – A theoretical discipline that establishes principles and guidelines for moral
conduct.
●​ Morality – The practical application of ethical principles in daily life.
●​ Ethics serves as the study, while morality is the action.

For example:

●​ Ethical Principle: Lying is wrong.

●​ Moral Decision: Choosing not to lie to a friend about an important matter.

In professional settings, ethics guides decision-making, ensuring integrity and

accountability, while morality refers to the choices made by individuals based on ethical
principles.
B. Nature and Importance of Ethics (Understanding & Applying)

1.​ Ethics as a Guide to Human Behavior

○​ Ethics provides a rational basis for making moral decisions.
○​ It helps individuals evaluate their actions before making choices.
2.​ The Role of Ethics in Society
○​ Ethics promotes social order by ensuring fairness and justice.
○​ Ethical principles help in resolving conflicts and promoting peace.
○​ Ethics protects individual rights, ensuring dignity and respect for all.
3.​ Ethics in Personal and Professional Life
○​ In daily life, ethics influences honesty, trustworthiness, and fairness.
○​ In professional settings, ethics ensures responsibility, competence, and
accountability.

Example:

●​ A doctor follows ethical guidelines by prioritizing a patient’s well-being over financial

gain.

C. The Scope of Ethics (Applying & Analyzing)

Ethics extends beyond personal conduct to various aspects of society.

1.​ Personal Ethics – Individual moral values that guide personal decision-making.
2.​ Professional Ethics – Ethical standards in specific careers (e.g., medical ethics,
business ethics, legal ethics).
3.​ Social Ethics – Moral responsibilities towards society (e.g., human rights, environmental
responsibility).
4.​ Political Ethics – Ethical conduct in governance and leadership.

Example:

●​ A government official who refuses a bribe is upholding political ethics.

●​ A lawyer maintaining client confidentiality follows professional ethics.

D. Ethical Norms and Their Distinctions (Analyzing & Evaluating)

Human behavior is influenced by different norms, but only moral norms are directly related to
ethics.
 Type of Norm Definition Example

Technical Focus on efficiency and Engineers follow building codes to

Norms effectiveness in achieving goals. ensure safety.

Societal Social customs and traditions Removing shoes before entering a

Norms accepted by a community. house in some cultures.

Aesthetic Standards of beauty and artistic Classical music is considered more

Norms expression. refined than pop music.

Moral Norms Principles of right and wrong that Telling the truth even when it's
guide ethical behavior. difficult.

●​ Key Distinction: Only moral norms concern what is ethically right or wrong.

Example:

●​ A technical norm tells a doctor how to perform surgery efficiently.

●​ A moral norm tells the doctor to prioritize saving lives regardless of the patient’s social
status.

E. Ethics as a Practical Discipline (Evaluating & Creating)

Ethics is not just an academic subject—it is a practical tool for decision-making.

1.​ Why Ethics Matters in Decision-Making

○​ It helps resolve moral dilemmas in personal and professional life.
○​ Ethical decision-making prevents corruption, injustice, and discrimination.
2.​ Applying Ethics in Real Life
○​ Business Ethics: Companies should not engage in false advertising.
○​ Medical Ethics: Doctors should prioritize patient welfare over profit.
○​ Environmental Ethics: Industries must consider environmental sustainability.
3.​ Developing a Personal Ethical Framework (Creating)
i.​ Identify core values (e.g., honesty, integrity, respect).
○​ Follow universal moral principles (e.g., do no harm, treat others fairly).
○​ Be accountable for decisions and reflect on ethical consequences.

Example:​
A student who values academic honesty will not cheat on exams, even if there is an
opportunity to do so.
III. Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to the Chapter’s
Objectives
1.​ Remembering: Define ethics and distinguish it from morality.
○​ Ethics is the philosophical study of right and wrong, while morality is its practical
application.
2.​ Understanding: Explain how ethics influences human behavior.
○​ Ethics helps individuals make morally sound decisions and promotes social
order.
3.​ Applying: Identify real-life scenarios where ethical principles are used.
○​ Example: A lawyer upholds client confidentiality despite pressure.
4.​ Analyzing: Compare ethical norms with technical and societal norms.
○​ Moral norms focus on right and wrong, while technical norms focus on efficiency.
5.​ Evaluating: Judge the impact of ethics on personal and professional life.
○​ Ethical behavior builds trust in relationships and industries.
6.​ Creating: Develop an ethical code of conduct.
○​ Example: A student pledges to uphold honesty in academic work.

Q&A

1. How are ethics and morality related?

●​ Remembering:
○​ Ethics is the philosophical study of morality.
○​ Morality consists of the principles and values that define right and wrong.
●​ Understanding:
○​ Ethics provides a systematic framework for analyzing moral beliefs.
○​ Morality refers to individual and societal notions of good and bad.
●​ Applying:
○​ A lawyer follows an ethical code of conduct to ensure fairness.
○​ A person choosing to help someone in need demonstrates morality.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Ethics is universal and reason-based, while morality may be subjective and
influenced by culture.
○​ Ethics evaluates whether an act is justifiable, while morality may rely on
tradition, religion, or social norms.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Ethics should guide morality to prevent subjective bias and cultural
inconsistencies.
●​ Creating:
 ○​ Develop a code of ethics that ensures fairness, human rights, and integrity
across cultures.

💡 Conclusion: Ethics is the structured study of morality, ensuring moral principles are
rational and universally applicable.

2. Why is ethics a practical discipline?

●​ Remembering:
○​ Ethics is a practical discipline because it guides decision-making in real life.
●​ Understanding:
○​ Ethics applies to daily human interactions and professional responsibilities.
●​ Applying:
○​ A doctor follows the Hippocratic Oath to provide ethical treatment.
○​ A business leader considers ethical labor practices before outsourcing work.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Unlike philosophy, which is theoretical, ethics is applied in governance,
business, and personal life.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Ethical guidelines should be adaptable to evolving social and technological
issues.
●​ Creating:
○​ Formulate an ethical framework for AI decision-making in healthcare.

💡 Conclusion: Ethics is practical because it directly affects real-world choices, policies,

and human interactions.

3. What makes studying ethics important?

●​ Remembering:
○​ Ethics teaches people to differentiate right from wrong.
●​ Understanding:
○​ Studying ethics fosters critical thinking, moral responsibility, and
decision-making skills.
●​ Applying:
○​ Studying ethics helps journalists maintain integrity in reporting.
○​ A businessperson learns to balance profit with corporate social
responsibility.
●​ Analyzing:
 ○​ Ethics is essential for professional accountability in fields like medicine, law,
and politics.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Ethical education should be mandatory in all professions to ensure responsible
behavior.
●​ Creating:
○​ Design an ethics training program for companies to promote workplace
integrity.

💡 Conclusion: Studying ethics is crucial because it sharpens moral judgment, promotes

fairness, and enhances social responsibility.

4. Are all human experiences subject to morality?

●​ Remembering:
○​ Not all actions have moral implications (e.g., choosing what to wear).
●​ Understanding:
○​ Morality applies when an action affects others’ rights, dignity, or well-being.
●​ Applying:
○​ Telling the truth is a moral action, while choosing a favorite food is not.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Some experiences, like personal hobbies, are ethically neutral.
○​ Actions with social consequences, like lying or stealing, fall under morality.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Some argue all actions have moral significance, as personal choices may
influence others indirectly.
●​ Creating:
○​ Develop a classification system to categorize moral, non-moral, and ethically
neutral actions.

💡 Conclusion: Not all human experiences are moral, but actions affecting others must be
evaluated through an ethical lens.

5. Is morality different from legality? Why or why not?

●​ Remembering:
○​ Morality is based on personal and social values.
○​ Legality refers to laws created by governments.
●​ Understanding:
○​ Laws enforce minimum moral standards, but not all laws are moral.
 ●​ Applying:
○​ Slavery was once legal but immoral, while civil disobedience (e.g., Gandhi’s
protests) was illegal but morally justified.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Legal systems evolve with society’s changing moral beliefs.
○​ Some actions are legal but unethical (e.g., exploiting loopholes in labor laws).
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Laws should be grounded in morality to ensure justice.
●​ Creating:
○​ Draft a proposed legal reform that integrates ethical principles into lawmaking.

💡 Conclusion: Morality is broader than legality, and laws should be aligned with ethical
values to ensure justice.

6. What are the different types of norms? Differentiate

one from the other.
●​ Remembering:
○​ Norms include moral, legal, social, religious, and technical norms.
●​ Understanding:
○​ Each norm regulates human behavior in different ways.
●​ Applying:
○​ Legal norms require paying taxes, while moral norms promote honesty.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Moral norms are based on conscience, while legal norms are enforceable by
law.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Norm conflicts (e.g., religious vs. legal norms on same-sex marriage) should be
addressed through ethical reasoning.
●​ Creating:
○​ Develop a framework that balances different norms in multicultural societies.

💡 Conclusion: Different norms govern human behavior, but moral norms stand out because
they rely on ethical reasoning rather than authority or enforcement.

7. What makes the ethical/moral norm distinct and unique

from all the others?
●​ Remembering:
 ○​ Ethical norms focus on right and wrong based on reason.
●​ Understanding:
○​ Unlike legal norms (government laws) or social norms (traditions), ethical
norms are universally applicable.
●​ Applying:
○​ Ethical norms help doctors maintain patient confidentiality, even if laws allow
disclosure.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Ethical norms are rooted in human dignity and fairness, rather than social
approval or law.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Moral norms should override customs when they violate human rights.
●​ Creating:
○​ Draft a universal ethical code that applies across cultures and industries.

💡 Conclusion: Ethical norms are distinct because they are based on rational moral
reasoning rather than authority, law, or tradition.

8. Should all areas of human existence be covered by

ethics? Why or why not?
●​ Remembering:
○​ Ethics applies to actions that impact others.
●​ Understanding:
○​ A balance is needed between moral responsibility and personal freedom.
●​ Applying:
○​ Ethics is essential in politics, business, medicine, and AI technology.
●​ Analyzing:
○​ Overregulating morality may limit freedom and creativity.
●​ Evaluating:
○​ Ethics should apply to socially impactful issues but not to private, non-harmful
choices.
●​ Creating:
○​ Develop a framework distinguishing ethical and non-ethical domains in
human life.

💡 Conclusion: Ethics should cover areas impacting society, but personal preferences
should remain autonomous.

Here are detailed answers to the Review Questions and Activities, applying Bloom’s
Taxonomy to ensure deep understanding and analysis.
Review Questions
1. How are ethics and morality related?

●​ Remembering: Ethics is the philosophical study of morality, while morality refers to the
actual behaviors and principles that govern right and wrong.
●​ Understanding: Ethics provides a systematic framework for analyzing morality,
guiding human actions through moral principles.
●​ Applying: A lawyer adhering to ethical codes while defending a client demonstrates the
relationship between ethics (rules) and morality (personal values).
●​ Analyzing: Ethics codifies morality into structured guidelines, ensuring consistency in
moral decision-making.
●​ Evaluating: While ethics ensures objectivity, personal morality may be subjective and
influenced by culture, religion, or personal beliefs.
●​ Creating: Developing a universal ethical code that integrates various moral
perspectives can help maintain ethical consistency in diverse societies.

2. Why is ethics a practical discipline?

●​ Remembering: Ethics is practical because it applies to real-life situations and

decision-making.
●​ Understanding: It helps individuals navigate moral dilemmas and make rational, fair
choices.
●​ Applying: Doctors follow the Hippocratic Oath to ensure ethical medical practice.
●​ Analyzing: Unlike theoretical disciplines, ethics directly influences human behavior
and social interactions.
●​ Evaluating: Ethical guidelines should be adaptable to modern issues, such as
technology and AI ethics.
●​ Creating: Propose a set of ethical standards for social media usage to prevent
misinformation and online harm.

3. What makes studying ethics important?

●​ Remembering: Ethics teaches individuals about right and wrong and how to make just
decisions.
●​ Understanding: It fosters critical thinking and helps individuals evaluate moral
consequences.
●​ Applying: Studying ethics helps business professionals create fair labor policies.
 ●​ Analyzing: Ethics influences law, medicine, politics, and personal relationships.
●​ Evaluating: Ethical education should be integrated into all professions to maintain
integrity and fairness.
●​ Creating: Design a course syllabus that includes real-world ethical case studies to
enhance ethical learning.

4. Are all human experiences subject to morality?

●​ Remembering: Some experiences, such as personal preferences, may not involve

moral judgment.
●​ Understanding: Morality applies to actions affecting others’ well-being, rights, or
justice.
●​ Applying: Choosing to tell the truth or lie has moral implications, while choosing a
favorite color does not.
●​ Analyzing: Moral concerns arise when an action affects others, differentiating moral
and non-moral choices.
●​ Evaluating: Some argue that all actions, even personal ones, have moral significance
due to their broader impact on society.
●​ Creating: Propose a framework that classifies experiences into moral, non-moral, and
ethically neutral actions.

5. Is morality different from legality? Why or why not?

●​ Remembering: Morality refers to personal and societal values, while legality is based
on laws created by governments.
●​ Understanding: Laws enforce minimum ethical standards, but some moral actions
may be legal yet unethical (e.g., discrimination).
●​ Applying: Slavery was once legal but immoral, while civil disobedience may be illegal
but morally justified.
●​ Analyzing: Legal systems evolve based on moral progress (e.g., human rights laws).
●​ Evaluating: Laws should be grounded in morality to ensure justice and fairness.
●​ Creating: Develop a policy recommendation for ensuring that laws reflect ethical
principles.

6. What are the different types of norms? Differentiate one from the other.

●​ Remembering: Norms include moral, legal, social, religious, and technical norms.
●​ Understanding: Each type governs behavior in different aspects of life.
●​ Applying: Legal norms enforce state laws, while moral norms guide ethical behavior.
 ●​ Analyzing: While legal norms are enforceable by law, moral norms rely on social
approval or conscience.
●​ Evaluating: Conflicts may arise between different norms (e.g., religious vs. legal norms
on LGBTQ+ rights).
●​ Creating: Design a table categorizing various norms and their implications in different
societies.

7. What makes the ethical/moral norm distinct and unique from all the
others?

●​ Remembering: Ethical norms focus on right and wrong behavior based on moral
reasoning.
●​ Understanding: Unlike legal norms (enforced by law) or social norms (culturally
influenced), moral norms are universally applicable based on ethics.
●​ Applying: Ethical norms guide professional conduct in medicine, law, and business.
●​ Analyzing: Ethical norms are justified through reason, not just tradition or authority.
●​ Evaluating: Moral norms should be prioritized over customs or social expectations to
ensure justice.
●​ Creating: Formulate a universal ethical norm that applies across cultures and
professions.

8. Should all areas of human existence be covered by ethics? Why or why

not?

●​ Remembering: Ethics applies to actions affecting others but may not govern personal
preferences.
●​ Understanding: A balance is needed between moral responsibility and personal
freedom.
●​ Applying: Ethics is crucial in business, politics, medicine, and AI technology.
●​ Analyzing: Overregulating ethics may limit individual freedoms and creativity.
●​ Evaluating: Ethical considerations should apply to major social issues but not trivial
personal choices.
●​ Creating: Develop a framework for ethical boundaries, distinguishing between public
and private morality.
 ●​ Religious Norms: "Fasting during
Activity Time Answers Ramadan is a spiritual duty."
●​ Technical Norms: "Bridges should
be built using standard engineering
1. List five moral and non-moral practices."
actions and justify them.

●​ Moral Actions:
💡 Explanation: Moral norms are distinct
because they are universally binding and
1.​ Donating to charity based on rational ethical principles rather
(promotes well-being). than authority or tradition.
2.​ Telling the truth (fosters
trust).
3.​ Helping someone in need
(compassion). 3. Find an article about a
4.​ Standing against injustice contemporary ethical issue and
(moral courage).
discuss why it is ethical.
5.​ Respecting others’ opinions
(ethics of dialogue). ●​ Example: AI and privacy concerns
●​ Non-Moral Actions: (e.g., data collection by big tech
1.​ Choosing a favorite movie. companies).
2.​ Eating a specific cuisine. ●​ Ethical Issues: Violation of privacy,
3.​ Wearing a certain fashion lack of consent, surveillance risks.
style. ●​ Ethical Justification: It concerns
4.​ Preferring one music genre human rights, autonomy, and fair
over another. data usage.
5.​ Decorating a house a certain
way. 💡 Conclusion: Ethical discussions ensure
💡 Justification: Moral actions affect
that technological advancements align
with moral values.
others’ rights, dignity, or well-being, while
non-moral actions are personal
preferences with no ethical implications.

2. Five specific evaluative

statements for each norm type.

●​ Moral Norms: "Stealing is wrong

because it violates others' rights."
●​ Legal Norms: "Paying taxes is a
legal obligation to support society."
●​ Social Norms: "Shaking hands is a
polite greeting."
Identification: ○​ Ethical principles are
universal and should apply to
1.​ The Latin word for morality → all individuals.
Moralis 9.​ Part of ethics dealing with
○​ Moralis means customs or practical moral issues → Applied
manners, from which the ethics
word "morality" is derived. ○​ Applied ethics examines
2.​ The material object in the study of real-world moral issues, such
ethics → Human act as bioethics or business
○​ Ethics studies human ethics.
actions, especially those with 10.​The formal object in the study of
moral implications. ethics → Morality
3.​ Type of norm that concerns the ○​ The formal object is the
proper or right way of doing perspective from which
things → Moral norm ethics studies human acts.
○​ Moral norms guide behavior 11.​This refers to the guiding nature
according to what is right or of morality → Normativity
wrong. ○​ Morality serves as a guide for
4.​ A norm that the community distinguishing right from
comes to accept as good/bad → wrong.
Social norm 12.​Moral principles should be made
○​ Social norms are rules and public → Publicity principle
expectations by which a ○​ Moral rules should be open
society guides behavior. for scrutiny and discussion.
5.​ The Greek origin of the word 13.​Morality should not lay too much
"ethics" → Ethos burden on people →
○​ Ethos means character or Reasonableness
custom, forming the root of ○​ Ethical rules should be fair
ethics. and not overly difficult to
6.​ A specific trivial norm known as follow.
GMRC → Etiquette 14.​Moral principles are meant for
○​ GMRC (Good Manners and humans → Human-centered
Right Conduct) covers social ○​ Ethics applies to human
behavior and courtesy. actions and choices.
7.​ Ultimately a product of majority 15.​Moral rules should be neutral →
decision → Conventional morality Impartiality
○​ Conventional morality is ○​ Moral judgments should be
based on societal consensus unbiased and fair to all.
rather than absolute
principles.
8.​ Morality should be applied to
everyone → Universality
True or False: ○​ Ethics evaluates moral
conduct.
1.​ Ethics and morality do not share 9.​ Ethics as a science does not deal
the same etymology → False with human interaction → False
○​ "Ethics" comes from the ○​ Ethics directly relates to
Greek ethos, while "morality" human interactions and
comes from the Latin relationships.
moralis, both relating to 10.​Ethics seeks the aid of divine
customs and behavior. revelation in its investigation →
2.​ Ethics and morality are exactly False
the same → False ●​ Secular ethics relies on reason and
○​ Morality refers to principles of logic, while theological ethics
right and wrong, while ethics considers divine revelation.
is the philosophical study of 11.​Ethics, like other sciences, does
those principles. have a material object → True
3.​ Humans are defined as the ●​ Ethics studies human acts, which
Theological study of the morality serve as its material object.
of ethics → False 12.​The material object of ethics is
○​ Theological ethics studies the human act → True
morality from a religious ●​ Ethics is concerned with voluntary
perspective, but humans are human actions.
not defined by it. 13.​Aside from having a material
4.​ Ethics is also known as Moral object, Ethics also has a formal
Philosophy → True object → True
○​ Ethics is the branch of ●​ The formal object is morality.
philosophy concerned with 14.​The formal object of ethics is the
morality. use of man → False
5.​ Ethics is a theoretical science → ●​ The formal object is morality, not the
True use of man.
○​ Ethics involves theoretical 15.​Ethics is a major field in
analysis of moral principles. philosophy → True
6.​ Ethics deals mainly with theories ●​ Ethics is one of the core branches of
and principles → True philosophy.
○​ Ethics includes normative 16.​Ethics as a particular area of
and meta-ethics, which study knowledge has two major
moral concepts and divisions → True
principles. ●​ Ethics is divided into General Ethics
7.​ Ethics is a minor field in and Applied Ethics.
philosophy → False 17.​The two major divisions of Ethics
○​ Ethics is a major branch of are General Ethics and Applied
philosophy. Ethics → True
8.​ Ethics is primarily concerned with ●​ General Ethics covers moral
the rightness or wrongness of principles, while Applied Ethics
human actions → True applies them to real-life issues.
18.​Applied Ethics consists of the ●​ Both provide rules for guiding human
application of general moral behavior.
theories → True 20.​Ethics also grounds itself in
●​ Applied Ethics applies ethical human experience, aside from
principles to fields like medicine, reason and logic → True
business, and law. ●​ Ethics considers practical
19.​Ethics and religion are both experiences along with rational
normative disciplines → True analysis.