PREFINAL HANDOUT#1

Foundations of Ethics

Professional Ethics with Values Formation

* Property of STI of 19

Foundation of Ethics

c Ethics is the philosophy of life

c Ethics delves into the reasons and logic behind human action

c Ethics investigates the meaning and purpose of life

c According to Socrates “the unexamined life is not worth living”

c Plato stated that “ethics is the supreme science”

c Ethics is concerned in attaining the greatest good and goal – happiness





c All throughout history men have been asking the following questions:q What sort of thing am I?q Where do I come from?q Where am I going?q What is my future and destiny?q What must I do to be happy?q What is the cause and the remedy for to my present

problems?

c In elevating this questions we ask:q “WHAT IS THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF HUMAN

LIFE?”





c Imagine a home-builder. What is the primary important factor to ensure that the house would stand?q The foundation, the basis, the premises that it has.

c Ethics has its own premises similar to other science.

c Astronomy presupposes the existence of stars. They do not seek to prove their existence but accepts them.





c Science is a structure of knowledge. c It is a collection of facts.c Science must rest on well founded facts as

opposed to theories and hypotheses.c Science may contain theories but these are based

on facts that would be verified in the future.c A science is not correctly called so if the majority

of its basis is on hypotheses.c It is a body of knowledge.

How does it apply to Ethics?





c Ethics has its postulates:q Ethics accepts that there is a difference between

right and wrong.q Ethics knows that there are some actions that must

be done and others that must not.q Man is responsible for his actions.q If a man does wrong, he deserves to be punished.

c The existence of law is a proof of our statements earlier that there is a difference.

c We have a government that exists to enforce, formulate, and interpret the law.





c On the matter of opinion, there may be a difference on what is right from wrong but the fact remains that there is a DIFFERENCE.

c Freedom, responsibility, morality are just some abstract concepts but that does not negate their existence and reality.

c Can you think of other concepts that has consumed ethicists or philosophers?





c Ethics has its own set of principles.

c There are schools of thought as well that are not in accord with ethics.

c The school of moral skepticism doubts everything that come its way:q Everything is to be doubtedq Nothing is held certainq Moral standards are doubted in terms of existence

and validity

c The school of moral relativism has similar traits to skepticism in that it makes all truths variable.





c Morality in relativism assumes that it is ever changingq Morality is dependent on factors such as time, age,

economic status etc.

c Moral relativism permeates modern thought.

c Relativist cites examples from religion as a basis of their stand (i.e. Muslims allowed to marry more than once while Jewish and Catholics are not).

c It is important to note that there is always an objective value of moral good and evil which is in contradiction with relativism.




Famous People Say About Ethics

c “A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world” (Adams Camus, French Novelist)

c “Ethics and equity and principles of justice do not change with the calendar” (D.H. Lawrence, British Poet)

c “Let me give you a definition of ethics, it is good to maintain and further life it is bad to damage and destroy life” (Albert Scheweitzer)

c “Action is indeed the sole medium of expression for Ethics” (Jane Addams, Nobel Prize Winner 1931)




What is Ethics?

c The study of human act or human behavior

c The study of ethics is a focused study on the MORALITY of human actions

c Basic Definitions of Ethics

q Practical science of morality of human actions

q Science of human acts with reference to right and wrong

q Science which lays down the principles of right and wrong

q Normative and practical sciences, based on reason, which studies human conduct and provides norm for its natural integrity and honesty




Ethics and Other Sciences

c Ethics and Logicq Logic is the science of right thinking.q Ethics is the science of right living.q The interrelationship is evident as thinking leads to

action.

c Ethics and Psychologyq Psychology is the science that deals with the study

of human behavior.q Both ethics and psychology deal with the study of

man and their behavior. They both also study human nature.

q The difference lies in the paradigm approaching humanity.

q Psychology studies how human behave and what are the reasons behind it while ethics study how humans ought to behave.

q The MORALITY issue is the difference.




Ethics and Other Sciences

c Ethics and Sociologyq Sociology studies society as a whole.q Psychology studies the individual more.q Ethics and sociology are closely linked since

implications to society are also implications to ethics.

c Ethics and Economicsq Economics is the study of allocation of scarce

resources.q Man is an economic being.q Man requires fundamental needs that should be

met in order to survive.q Economics deals with issues of wages, labor,

production and distribution of wealth.q Business Ethics and Professional Ethics are of

particular interest in this area.




Ethics and Human Activity

c Life is a unity of many facets: sociology, economics, politics, religion, etc.

c Ethics permeates behavior in all these areas.

c Therefore, ethics can be seen in phases of human life.

c We pay particular attention to Education, Morality and Law, Art, Politics and Religion.




Ethics and Education

c Education develops the whole man.

c The development of mental faculties is the primary goal of education.

c But the development of moral character is also crucial to education.

c The constitution states that “all schools should develop good moral character, personal discipline, civic consciousness, etc.”

c Ethics’ place in education is evident. We are taught what are the proper ways of doing things.




Morality and the Law

c Morality and Law are closely linked.

c The emphasis of what is right and wrong is stated clearly in the law. Are the laws out of mere opinion?

c The laws of the land are concretization of anterior moral laws.

c There is however a difference between law and morality:q Laws are only placed to address external acts of

man.q Morality deals with the intrinsic aspects particularly

the voluntariness and intent.




Morality and the Law

When is one liable legally and morally?

c Murder is an act punishable by law but the person is not liable unless the act is committed or initiated.

c The person however is morally liable.

c This reinforces the internal concern of morality.




Ethics and the Art

c Ethics stands for the moral goodness.

c Art stands for beauty.

c The main question is whether a piece of art could be considered unethical.

c When art arouses and inspires the noble emotions of man then art has fulfilled its purpose.




Religion and Ethics

c Religion and ethics are said to be two phases of human life that are closest in relations.

c The question on God and the source of morality is still in debate.

Could morality and ethics stand without religion?

c Some argue that since God is the source of morality separating it is impossible.

c Do you agree?




Importance of Ethics

c Ethics mean right living and good moral character.

c The attainment of ethical behavior would result in a better place to live.

c Better understanding between cultures and people.

What is the importance of ethics to you?

PREFINAL HANDOUT#1

Spiritual

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