MORALITY

 Morality is the sense of right (good) and wrong (bad) behaviour.

 It means the accepted standards or principles of behaviour concerning what is right or
wrong.
.

ASPECTS OF MORALITY
Aspects of morality deals with human interactions. They address our actions, thoughts, ideals and
principles. Actions or decisions can be divided into three moral categories or aspects.

1. MORAL ACTION
Moral action refers to behavior or conduct or character which is regarded as right or good. They are
decisions or actions that are believed to be right and acceptable.

EXAMPLES

a) Respecting other people

b) Greeting elders
c) Obeying rules and people in authority
d) Sharing what you have with others
e) Caring for the sick

2. IMMORAL ACTION

Immoral action refers to behaviour, conduct or character which is viewed and regarded as wrong.
These are decisions or actions that go against a person or society’s values and are believed to be
wrong and unacceptable

EXAMPLES

a) Cheating in examination
b) Stealing
c) Telling lies
d) Killing other people
e) Committing murder

3. AMORAL ACTION

Amoral action means behaviour, conduct or character which shows no understanding of right and
wrong. Such actions are neither good nor bad. They are committed by babies, mentally ill persons
and non-rational beings like animals.

EXAMPLES

a) A baby tearing up a magazine

b) A mentally ill person walking naked
c) A donkey sleeping in the middle of the road

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SOURCES OF MORALITY

A source is a place or a person from which can get something. E.g. a teacher can be a source of
knowledge. The knowledge of right and wrong is guided and influenced by a number of factors.
These include religion, philosophy etc. most of our principles and standards of behaviour come
from religion and philosophy.

RELIGION AS A SOURCE OF MORALITY

Religion is what people believe in and practice. E.g: Christianity, Islam or African Traditional
Religion. Religion can greatly influence the way in which we behave because whatever one does
depends on his /her beliefs and the things they think are important. Examples of sources of
morality in religion include the following:

 THE SUPREME BEING

Followers of a religion believe that a Supreme Being is the ultimate source of morality. They believe
that the rules of how they should and should not behave came from the Supreme Being.

 TEACHINGS OF RELIGIOUS FOUNDERS( Priests, pastors, prophets, teachers,

gurus, rabbis etc).
These teachings provide some guidelines on the right way of behaving. E.g: In Christianity,
Jesus Christ taught that “love your neighbor as you love yourself”. He healed the sick, fed
the poor , forgave the sinners and died for our sins.

 THE SACRED TEXTS OR HOLY SCRIPTURES

These texts provide some guidelines, teachings, codes of conduct and stories about moral
and immoral behaviour. The holy books guide followers on how to behave and live their
lifestyles. E.G Muslim believe that the Quran contains actual words of Allah as revealed to
prophet Muhammed. E.g: : “Nor come near to adultery or fornication for it is a shameful
deed and evil”

 RELIGIOUS CODE OF CONDUCT( Ethical Codes)

These are the set principles of behaviour intended to guide the conduct of followers of a
religion. They influence the lifestyles of the followers hence they have to abide by them in
order to live a meaningful and fulfilling lives. They include laws about things like food to be
eaten, dress code, marriage, spiritual guidance, interpersonal relationships and so on.

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 SUMMARY TABLE

RELIGION SUPREM FOUNDER SACRED TEXTS ETHICAL

E BEING CODES
ATR MODIMO - - NORMS.
TABOOS AND
PROVERBS
CHRISTIANITY GOD JESUS HOLY BIBLE TEN
CHRIST COMMANDME
NTS
JUDAISM YAHWEH ABRAHAM TORAH/TENAK TEN
/GOD COMMANDME
NTS
HINDUISM BRAHMA - VEDAS LAWS OF MANU
N
BUDDHISM BUDDHA SIDDHART TRPITAKA/PALI/CAN NOBLE EIGHT
HA OON FOLD PATH
SIKHISM GOD GURU GURU GRANTH SAHIB RAHIT
NANAK MARYADA
BAHAI FAITH GOD BAHAULLA KITAB-I-AQDAS LAWS OF BAHAI
H

PHILOSOPHY AS A SOURCE OF MORALITY

Philosophy is the study of nature and meaning of existence. It tries to explain the meaning of our
existence and nature and how we relate with our environment. There are a number of theories
which try to justify our conduct and behaviour.eg

a) KANTIEN ETHICS/THE HUMAN MIND- (RARU PRINCIPLE) By philosopher

Emmanuel Kant.

According to Emmanuel Kant actions are good when people do them for a good reason. The good
of an action does not depend on its results instead it depends on the intention of the person
performing the action.
Immanuel Kant came up with four conditions that must be met for any action to be accepted as a
morally good action. The conditions are;

 Rationality(reasoning) ; the action should develop one’s reasoning

 Autonomy (freedom); the action should develop one’s freedom or autonomy(self rule or
independent decision)
 Respect for others; the action should develop respect for others
 Universality; the action should eliminate discrimination and be acceptable to may people.
All four actions should be satisfied for any act to be truly morally acceptable, if anyone is not met,
then the action is not morally good.

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 b) UTILITARIAN ETHICS- (the greatest good for the greatest number) By
philosophers Jeremy Bentham, James Mill and John Stuart Mill.

Utility is a theory which suggests that a course of an action is morally good when it makes the
majority satisfied. This principle simply means that if any action is preferred by the majority then
such an action is good and morally acceptable. The theory suggests that the source of morality is
“The desire to have pleasure, happiness and avoid pain” If an action or behaviour brings about
the greatest pleasure/ happiness to the majority of people, it is considered good but if such an action
or behavior brings about displeasure or unhappiness to the majority of people, it is considered
wrong. For example, if majority of learners in a class are more alert and get better results in Maths
when they are taught outdoors, then having lessons outside the classrooms can be seen as good and
morally acceptable.

c) THE FEELING OF BENEVOLENCE ABD SYMPATHY TOWARDS OTHERS:

By philosopher David Hume.
Benevolence means the feeling of compassion, kindness, generosity and empathy towards others. He
believes that these feelings promote the wellbeing, happiness and prosperity of the society. They also
motivate people to treat each other fairly and justly hence bringing about a good community spirit.
He argues that it is natural for people to take part in the developments of their communities for the
benefit of all individuals.

d) THE GOLDEN RULE: By Philosopher Plato.

According to Plato, a behaviour is good only if it is something you would want others to do
to you. “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you” Respect should be an
ethical principle.

e) A good life can be achieved by teaching, learning and reasoning: By Philosopher

Aristotle.
According to Philosopher Aristotle, adults should teach the young and in turn they must
learn from their adults. He gives emphasis that adults are role models for children as children
imitate their behaviour. He stated that children learn morals in two ways namely:
 Through teaching by adults.
 By copying or imitating adults.

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THE NEED FOR MORALITY IN THE SOCIETY

 Morality guides the way people in the society behave and interact with one another- it helps
people to see the difference between right and wrong, good and bad
 Morality helps people to make responsible choices and act in a responsible way

 Morality helps people to live together in peace and harmony- it helps the members of a
society to respect each other and gives them a sense of belonging and security

 Morality helps society to punish wrong doing and reward right actions- most people in a
society do not want to be punished and therefore do their best to avoid breaking the laws of
the society

 Morality makes sure that individuals in a society are treated fairly and that there is justice for
all in that society.

 Morality make people to take responsibility for their actions.

 Morality improves people’s standard of living: This is achieved through people partaking in
their community’s developments by being self- reliant, respect for life and property.

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