ETHICS: A PHILOSOPHY OF ACTION

CHAPTER 1:
●​ Ethics arms the person with a theoretical
ETHICS: ITS MEANING,
NATURE, AND SCOPE knowledge of the morality of human
acts, so he/she may know what to do as
well as how to do it
ETYMOLOGICAL MEANING OF ●​ However, it does not necessarily follow
ETHICS that knowledge leads or results to
practical action
Ethics
●​ Ethics or “the learning” of ethics does
-​ Derived from the Greek word “ethos”
not guarantee morality on the part of the
meaning “custom or a particular way
person’s concrete and practical conduct
and manner of acting and behaving”
and behavior
➔​ Custom
●​ A person does not necessarily do what
-​ Form of behavior or character
he/she knows
-​ Latin equivalent - “mos” or
“mores”
The farthest distance for a person to cross is the
●​ Root word where
distance between the head and the heart.
“moral” or “morality” is
derived
●​ While ethics (the theory) provides
●​ Ethics is usually taken
certain principles and guidelines as to
as synonymous with
what is good and bad, right and wrong
morality
in human conduct, it is morality which
actualizes the theory.
ETHICS AND MORALITY ●​ Ethics is the “word,” while morality is
DISTINGUISHED the “flesh”
●​ Etymologically, ethics and morality ●​ Morality, therefore, is understood as the
practically share the same meaning but application (praxis) of ethics (theory)
there is still a slight distinction between
them “As ethics outlines theories of right and wrong
●​ Ethics and Morality both deal with the and good or bad actions, morality translates
goodness or badness, rightness or these theories into real actions. Thus, morality is
wrongness of the human act or human nothing else but a doing (or the practice) of
conduct ethics”

“But in ethics, we specifically study morality. ETHICS: A PRACTICAL DISCIPLINE

Morality gives ethics a particular perspective of
●​ Ethical theories and principles may
what to study about – that is the rectitude of
uplift the students mentally, but may not
whether an act is good or bad, right or wrong.
transform them concretely into better
Morality provides with a quality that determines
persons or human beings
and distinguishes right conduct from wrong
●​ Ethics should be taken as a “way of life”
conduct”
 “Ethics should be shown as a discipline which ●​ Ethics is the study of the choices people
has an intimate connection with the daily lives make regarding right and wrong, good
of man…To be vital, the teaching must be and bad.
something more than the presentation of ●​ Big and small, the choices and decisions
exacting moral theories…there (should be) a that were made in our individual and
proper interaction between knowledge and collective lives affect also the kind of life
practice. Knowledge serves as practice, for each we live to a considerable extent.
new truth learned is a new reason for a better
life” ●​ The study of ethics can provide us with
certain moral paradigms or perspectives
“Knowing what is right without actually that will in a way guide us in
changing the way we behave morally is nothing determining what's right and what's
but useless knowledge. One must be so wrong
convicted of the correctness of one’s thinking
that it leads to a real and concrete transformation ●​ The study of ethics will also enable us to
in one’s daily attitude and behavior, or it reason out or moral beliefs and of why
becomes, at the very least, the most basic and we hold them
fundamental motive behind one’s day to day “If you do not have good ( and defensible)
conduct” reasons for your moral opinions, why should
anyone pay attention to them? More important,
●​ One may become so adept at the various why should you yourself pay attention to them,
theories and principles concerning if you do not have good reasons for holding
morality without ever becoming moral them”
●​ One may have a thorough grasp and ●​ Ethics will enable us to critically
mastery of ethical principles, yet, still at examine the ground and foundation of
a loss as to their relevance and value to our moral beliefs and claims, whether
the living of the good life itself they are valid or not
➔​ Ethics - study of the Good Life
“Such a study would be rather like learning the ●​ The study of ethics will also aid us to
recipes in a cook book without eating the food, widen our horizon as to what is good
so to speak. Reality would elude (the person). and bad
One would not know the thing (one) knows; “(A)n appreciation of the complexity of ethics is
(one) would only know about it” valuable and counteracting our natural tendency
toward inflexibility and tribalism where we
stubbornly adhere to the values of our ( own)
THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING
specific peer groups”
ETHICS
●​ Ethics is an area of knowledge which is “The study of ethics is not only instrumental
indispensable in the living of life which value but also valuable in its own right. For it is
is “truly human” satisfying to have knowledge of important
“Without moral perception, man is only an matters for its own sake. We are rational beings
animal. Without morality, man as a rational (and who cannot help but want to understand the
free) being is a failure” nature of good life and all that it implies.”
 ●​ Knowing the good is good in itself. ●​ Religion relies primarily and mainly on
Though doing the good is better than supernatural reason, that is– divine
just knowing the good revelation or divine authority

“Ethics can also deepen our reflection on the “The practice of morality need not be motivated
ultimate questions of life. This is a value in by religious considerations and moral principles
itself…” need not be grounded in revelation or the word
of god or gods/goddesses”
As socrates said “an unexamined life is not ●​ Ethics grounds itself on reason and the
worth living” wisdom of human experience, not on the
supposed authority of any holy book and
sacred writings
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS
AND LAW
ETHICS: A DEFINITION
●​ Laws are only concerned with actions
that are usually “ public;” actions that in ●​ Philosophically, ethics is defined as the
a way often harmed those around us. practical science of the morality of
These types of actions are external ones human act or conduct and of the good
that society forbids because they are life
detrimental to the common good or the ●​ As a science, ethics is a body of
general public knowledge systematically arranged and
●​ Ethics goes beyond the concerns and presented in such manner that it arrives
parameters of law, for it includes human at its conclusions coherently and
motivations in its investigation. Ethics logically
includes the thoughts and feelings of ●​ Ethics, as a branch of philosophy, is also
individuals not just their external known as moral philosophy
conduct and actions, and subject them
to moral analysis and evaluation “It is that branch of philosophy that deals with
how we ought to live, with the idea and the
What is right is right even though no one is pursuit of the good and with concepts as right
doing it. wrong is wrong even if everyone is and wrong”
doing it.
MATERIAL OBJECT OF ETHICS
“It is because of ethics that we have laws in the
first place, and we continue to need ethics in ●​ The subject matter of ethics is human
order to refine and perfect our legal system.” conduct or the human act
Human conduct
-​ act that is done by a human person
THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ETHICS
which he/she is conscious of, which
AND RELIGION
proceeds from one's deliberation and
●​ Ethics solely relies on natural reason, free will, and thus, for which one is
logic and experience, especially in the held morally responsible
justification and validation of certain
theories and principles concerning good
and bad
 ➢​ Aesthetic Norm
FORMAL OBJECT OF ETHICS
-​ Regarding color, shapes, space,
●​ The formal object of ethics is the movement, sound, feeling and
morality or the moral rectitude of human emotion, touch and texture,
act or human contact taste, scent and odor which are
considered beautiful
DIVISIONS OF ETHICS ➢​ Ethical or Moral Norm
-​ Some ideal vision of a human
General Ethics person, an ideal stage or
-​ Basic course in the study of ethics perfection of his or her
-​ Mainly deals with the morality of well-being, which serves as the
human acts ultimate goal and norm

Special or Applied Ethics

-​ Applies the specific and fundamental THE MORAL DIMENSION OF HUMAN
norms and principles of general ethics EXISTENCE
and various specific areas of human life
and activity
CHARACTERISTICS OF MORAL
PRINCIPLES
KINDS OF VALUATION AND TYPES OF
●​ Reasonability
NORMS
-​ Moral judgements must be
Norm packed by good reasons or
-​ Rule, standard, or measure arguments
-​ “The criteria of judgment about the sorts ●​ Impartiality
of person we ought to be and the sorts of -​ an ethical or moral rule should
actions we ought to perform” be neutral when it comes to the
question as to who are its
Norm of Morality recipients
-​ “Standards that indicate the rightfulness -​ Moral standards are supposed to
or wrongfulness, the goodness or apply to everyone regardless of
evilness, the value or disvalue of human one status and situation in life
conduct” ●​ Prescriptivity
-​ practical or action guiding
➢​ Technical Norm nature of morality
-​ Concerned with techniques of -​ the commanding aspect of
how certain things pertaining to morality
survival, health, and well-being, ●​ Overridingness
should be done or not done -​ Moral standards must have
➢​ Societal Norm hegemony. This means that they
-​ This is something to do with the should rain supreme over all the
need for group cohesion and for other standards or norms of
strengthening the bonds that valuation, whatever they may be
keep the community together ●​ Autonomous from Arbitrary Authority
 -​ Moral standards should stand on
their own logic independent of
the arbitrariness of the majority
●​ Publicity
-​ Moral rules and principles must
be made public they are to serve
as clear guidelines to our actions
●​ Practicability
-​ Moral rules should not be
impossible to achieve
●​ Universalizability
-​ Moral rule or principle must be
applicable to everyone, without
exemption, provided of course
that all people are in are
relevantly similar situation or
context